Welcome to New York
by Upsgirl88
Summary: More than 5 years after they met and become friends on the set of a movie that made Daryl a famous actor, Carol takes a new role that lands her in New York for 2 months of filming. NYC is Daryl's second home when he's not in Georgia working on the TV series he stars in. It's a big city. They're both busy. How much time could they possibly spend together?
1. Chapter 1

"You have got to be kidding me," Carol sighed, hanging up her cell phone. She was at the baggage claim at the bustling JFK international airport, waiting for her luggage to appear on the belt and wishing she had decided to drive instead. But if everything had gone according to plan she wouldn't have needed her car anyway, which was why she chose to fly from Atlanta.

The call she'd just hung up from threw a huge monkey wrench into her plans. Carol had found an apartment in Manhattan to sublet for the 2 months she would be in the city. The owner was also an actor and had a role in Los Angeles. But as things often do in their business… everything changed. His movie was bumped to a spring filming start and his apartment would no longer be available for the time of her stay.

So now she was at the airport waiting for her belongings with absolutely no where to take them to. The owner of the apartment was in LA already and offered for her to stay there a couple nights until he returned - for the inconvenience, but she had declined. It just didn't feel right. She decided she would just take a cab into Manhattan and try to find a hotel for the night and start fresh the next day.

Her phone rang again and she was terrified to even look and see what else could go wrong. Carol smiled when she saw who was calling. "Hey," she sighed with relief into the phone.

"Hey, what's wrong? You in the city yet?" Daryl asked. It was Daryl Dixon, one of her closest friends in the entire world. They had met more than 5 years earlier when she picked up a role as an extra in a movie he was in. Daryl only had a supporting role and it was his first film, but it was incredibly successful and really kicked off his career. They had really hit it off right from the start for so many reasons.

The area where they lived in Georgia was a huge hotbed for filming and there were always roles popping up for extras. The way they had both got into the business was essentially the same - they'd been in a place in their life that they really needed the extra cash and they started taking any roles they could find. It might have been a day's work, a week's work, whatever - but if you could get an extra role it was quick cash and actually great experience for those who really knew nothing about the business at the time.

Daryl's path to stardom had started over a year before her own, and like it often did for handsome men in the film industry - his celebrity climbed a lot quicker than hers did. But Carol was okay with that because she had seen first hand how much his life had changed. It was actually almost crazy how he'd gone from a small town southern redneck with a huge chip on his shoulder to a well known celebrity who had homes in both Atlanta and New York.

When she first met him, even though he was already moving up the ranks she would never have believed he would live some of the year in a huge city like New York. He loved to be outdoors and he loved hunting, tracking game through the woods and riding his motorcycle on the backroads of rural Georgia. But people change because of circumstance and somehow Daryl had actually fell in love with NYC and was actually rather passionate about it.

Carol on the other hand - was not. She'd been out to LA a few times and of course she'd been to NYC, but never for an extended period like she was about to do. She knew she would be homesick in a matter of days, but she hoped to stay very busy with work and that the two months would fly by. At least Daryl would be around - just knowing he was in the same city was comforting. She always missed him this time of year when the TV show he filmed in Atlanta wrapped and he went to New York for a few months.

"I'm at the airport," Carol replied. "But I'm not off to a great start."

"What happened? You need me to come there?" he was genuinely concerned and it was touching. Daryl truly was a really close friend and she was quite looking forward to spending some time with him in his city - if their schedules were at all in sync to allow for it.

"No, no, I'm fine," Carol insisted. "I just got a call and the apartment I was renting is no longer available. So now I gotta find a hotel for the night and see what I can find tomorrow."

"What? Are you kidding? No hotel. Just come here," Daryl said, somewhat insistently.

"No, it's okay. I'll just find…" she started.

He quickly cut her off. "Come on. I have a spare room and I'm free all day tomorrow. I can help you find a place."

Carol hesitated. She didn't want to inconvenience him, though she knew full well Daryl would be happy to do anything he could to help. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course," he replied, sounding pleased he'd convinced her so quickly. "I'm headed out in a few. Some friends are taking me for a belated birthday celebration. But I'll leave the key at the front desk with security and let them know you'll be picking it up." He paused for a minute. "Unless you want to join us?" Daryl offered. "Just dinner and some drinks at a little place near my apartment."

Carol knew full well that dinner and drinks often turned into late nights, bars and nightclubs for Daryl. He was just too nice to say no if anyone pressured him for starters, not to mention the fact that he could get rather unruly when he drank too much. "Mmm hmm," she laughed. "No that's okay, you have fun. I'm a bit tired anyway," she said truthfully.

"Okay, I won't push…" he started, but it was followed by a condition. "As long as you promise that you'll go out some night with me while you're here. Let me show you the New York

Nightlife."

"Of course," Carol agreed. She knew there would be a wild and crazy night with Daryl at some point during her stay. It wasn't her thing, but he always seemed to happy to have her tag along so she would suck it up and drink with him one night.

"'kay, so I'll try not to wake you when I get in," Daryl chuckled, probably referring to the fact that it would be late and he would be drunk. "See you in the morning."

Carol hung up just in time, as she spotted her huge suitcase coming along the conveyer belt. She went to grab it but forgot just how heavy it was. She stumbled, lost her grip and swore under her breath as she watched the suitcase heading off for another trip around. Maybe it's a sign, she thought. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the role. The movie she was filming was something very different for her. It was just a supporting role, but it was a significant supporting role. And there were some scenes she was extremely nervous about - to the point she had originally turned it down. When they called her back and said no one had even come close to her audition and they just couldn't see anyone else in the role, Carol gave in and took it.

Now she was in New York City and so far nothing had gone right. Carol was seriously considering heading back to the ticket booth and booking it right back to the ATL. Her suitcase was making its way back again and she felt the anxiety creeping in. She didn't want to miss the fucking thing a second time or there was a good chance she would throw a very public hissy fit.

"It's the gigantic black one, right?" a voice spoke up. Carol turned to see a handsome man in a perfectly tailored suit. "I'll get it for you this time," he said with a sexy smile.

Carol blushed, realizing that he must have seen her miss the suitcase. "Yes, that's the one. Thank you," she replied.

"Oh my God," he groaned, heaving the suitcase off the belt and setting it at her feet. "What do you have in that thing? Bricks?" he teased.

Carol smiled at him, "A girl never reveals her secrets." What the hell, did I just flirt with a random stranger? she wondered, shocked at her unusually forward behaviour. But the man was gorgeous. He looks almost as good as Daryl in a suit, she thought. Why on earth am I comparing him to Daryl? Carol blamed the frustration of her situation. "Uh, thank you for your help," she added.

He nodded. "It was absolutely my pleasure."

Run, a voice inside her head screamed. "Bye," she said quickly, taking off into the crowd pulling the suitcase behind her. Carol had to admit it was nice to flirt and be flirted with by such an attractive, likely younger, man. Chances were he recognized her - she'd been in enough movies by that point - even though he didn't let on. She chalked it up to his celebrity moment, but still found herself smiling the entire cab ride to Daryl's apartment building.

The key was waiting, just like he'd promised. It felt strange to be letting herself into someone else's place, even if it was Daryl's . She'd never been to his apartment before. She'd been to his house in Georgia a few times, but never alone other than the time offered to check on his cat when he was stuck filming super late.

Carol walked in and stood her suitcase up in the hallway. Just as she expected the place was spotless, everything in it's place. It truly amused her that Daryl was a neat freak. It wasn't something you would expect from him. But it was part of his minimalist attitude. Always just enough - never too much - meant there was never any clutter.

Just as she was about to head down the hall to figure out where the spare room was Carol heard a hiss. Scrappy was staring at her, his fur pricking. "Oh stop that, it's me," she said, giving the cat a look. "Enough with the diva act." Carol made her way over to the furball and bent down. She reached out her hand and the cat sniffed her. The hiss instantly switched to a deep purr and he rubbed against her hand, begging to be pet. She slipped a hand under his belly and swept the cat into her arms for some snuggle time. It made her miss her own fur balls, but she knew they were safe and happy where she'd boarded them.

Carol put the cat down and continued past the living room and kitchen. There were 5 doors in the hallway. The first was a bathroom, then there was a room that appeared to be a storage area, there was a large closet, and at the end of the hall there were two bedrooms. The first was clearly Daryl's room and the second had to be the spare. Carol pushed open the door and stopped. It wasn't a spare room at all, it was someone's room. T-Dog - Daryl's manager… it had to be his room. She remembered Daryl mentioning that T-Dog stayed with him sometimes and thinking it was weird for an actor and their manager to share a place. But Daryl had always surrounded himself with friends instead of going right to the well known industry types and he was making out just fine. Carol shut the door, she just didn't feel right taking the room.

She wandered back out to the living room and decided she would make herself comfortable on the couch for the night. She picked up the remote and turned on the TV. "Jesus," she muttered, quickly switching from the playboy channel, not really in the mood for an evening of porn, even though she had packed her vibrator for those lonely nights. She put on CNN, thankful for some background noise.

She was feeling thirsty so Carol went to the kitchen to see what she could find. She opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water, noticing a note laying on the counter. She picked it up and smiled as she started to read Daryl's scribbles:

 _Carol,_

 _Make yourself at home. Towels are in the hall closet. Coffee is in the cupboard above the sink. Take-out menus are in the drawer by the phone._

 _Welcome to New York. Glad you're here._

 _XOXO_

 _D_

He knew her so well. The first thing she did was grab towels from the hall closet and took a long, hot shower. She followed that up with a mug of coffee and then decided to order a late dinner. Carol had almost fallen asleep on the couch when the delivery man arrived with her Thai food. She paid him and dug in. Really good ethnic food was definitely one benefit of city life.

Half an hour later she was digging through the hall closet again to find bedding for the couch. Carol was exhausted by the time it was made up and she'd gone through her nightly bathroom routine. She slipped into a pair of pajamas and then climbed into her makeshift bed. The sofa was plush leather and very comfortable. In no time she was fast asleep.

Carol had no idea how long she'd been sleeping when voices woke her up. She grabbed her phone to check the time: 1:35. It was actually fairly early for Daryl to be calling it a night. But suddenly she heard a female voice and realized why he was home. She instantly wished she had opted for the hotel. She really didn't want to be there with one of his random flavors of the night.

Too late now, she thought, lying back down. The voices were getting louder and Carol was curious what they were saying. She flipped back the covers and snuck closer. "No… please go. You walked me to the door. Now have a good night," Daryl said, slurring just a bit.

"Oh come on Daryl, you know you want this," the female voice replied. "I won't stay long…"

"No," he persisted. But the argument continued and finally Carol sighed. She would save his ass and he would owe her huge.

She couldn't just walk out there because the girl would most likely recognize her, so Carol called out loudly, "Daryl is that you? Come to bed. I've been waiting for you for sooooo long." She did her best to sound flirty and almost desperate.

"You have a woman here?" the girl shrieked. Carol had to bite her lip hard to keep from laughing. "You're a disgusting bastard," she yelled.

"Um, bye," Daryl called out. Carol heard the door shut and she peeked her head out into the hall. "Fuck, thank you," he sighed.

"You're welcome and you owe me… but I'm a bit confused," she admitted. "Why didn't you just… let her in?"

"Because you're here," he said, struggling with his jacket. He was clearly very drunk and it was quite amusing to watch.

"We're adults," Carol replied. "What goes on in your bedroom is not my concern."

 _AN: Yeah, so I don't know if this is gonna work or completely bomb, but I'm gonna give it a try. There's really no way I can make Daryl exactly like the Daryl we know on TV given that in this AU he's a celebrity. But I will do my best to pay homage to his original personality by harkening back and making comparisons to what he used to be like. And maybe I'll even do a flashback or two that weren't in the original McReedus version - just to remember where they started. Sorry for these long, stupid author's notes where I let you all in my crazy insecure mind. Anyway, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think if you can or want to._

 **Chapter 1**

"Does that mean you weren't waiting in my bed?" Daryl said, finally getting the jacket off with a triumphant look. Carol remembered a time when he used to blush when she flirted with him and now Mr. Big Time Celebrity was the one doing the flirting.

"Uh, no," Carol said, crossing her arms over her chest when it suddenly occurred to her she wasn't wearing a bra. "I was quite comfy on the couch."

"The couch? Why didn't you take the spare room?" Daryl kicked off one shoe and hopped around trying to get the other one off.

"It's T-Dog's room. Just didn't feel right," she admitted.

"He wouldn't care," Daryl said, leaning against the wall for support as he wrestled with the uncooperative shoe. "Ha," he said, smiling when the shoe came off and flew across the hall.

"Did you have fun?" Carol asked as he stumbled towards her.

"It was great." Daryl was looking at her very strangely. "You're beautiful Carol," he said, leaning in and kissing her on the forehead.

"And you are very drunk," she replied, tapping his cheek lightly with her hand. She could smell the whiskey on his breath. "Go to bed Daryl."

"Okay," he sighed. "My bed is way more comfy than the couch…" he offered.

"Go to bed," Carol said firmly.

Daryl gave her a quick peck on the cheek then started towards his room. "Just so you know," he said, turning and smiling at her. "I sleep naked."

Carol couldn't resist, "So do I." She heard his moan as she headed back to the couch, chuckling to herself. At least she was laughing before bed, after the terrible way her day had started. But she was always laughing when she was with Daryl. She had a feeling that having him nearby might just be her saving grace on the trip. Welcome to New York, she thought, home of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and… the one and only - Daryl Dixon.


	2. Chapter 2

Carol was on her second cup of coffee, sitting on the couch watching a morning news program when she finally heard Daryl clunking around in the kitchen. A few minutes later he appeared in the living room with a mug, messy hair and dark circles under his eyes. But she only noticed his face for a matter of seconds because her eyes started to wander down the rest of his body. Daryl was shirtless and barefoot, wearing only a pair of black track pants, sitting ridiculously low on his hips. They were so low she was actually wondering how they were staying on. When she started to hope they would fall off Carol decided she needed to focus on something else.

Unfortunately her next distraction was his broad shoulders and sexy, well defined collarbones, which didn't leave her with any more ability to speak than she'd had looking at the waistband of those damn pants. Get yourself together, she thought. "Morning," she said sweetly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I look," Daryl groaned. He set down the coffee mug and stretched. That's a matter of opinion, Carol decided.

"Your pants are gonna fall down," she muttered, peeking over her cup of coffee, wishing she didn't want it to happen as badly as she did. Daryl was her buddy, but he was a man, an incredibly sexy and very flirty man, and she was a woman who certainly appreciated a fine male form.

"Hmm? Oh…" he said, looking down. "Unfortunately for you…" Daryl flipped the waistband to reveal a hidden drawstring. "They're not going anywhere." Carol tried to hide her disappointment and the fact that she got a quick glimpse of his pubic hair confirming her suspicion that there was not a thing under those pants. Daryl plopped down on the couch beside her.

Carol gave him a smirk, "I changed the channel."

He looked confused for a minute and then a smile slowly spread across his face. "Too bad, they play some fantastic movies in the morning."

"Define 'fantastic'," Carol said, likely heading into inappropriate territory yet not really caring… yet. She tried to be more conservative with him but their personalities were so complimentary that even a simple conversation could quickly turn into something altogether different.

"Well I ain't gonna say the acting is fantastic," Daryl chuckled. "But the porn scenes… yeah, those are pretty fantastic." He gave her a flirty smile. "I usually sit right there," he added said, pointing to where she was sitting. "While I…" he made a gesture that could only mean one thing. "I can reach the tissues from there." From time to time she would still catch a shade of pink on his cheeks when they talked about things of a sexual nature, but he had certainly come a long way over the years.

"There are some things I just really don't need to know," Carol groaned. Truth was, it wasn't the first time he'd brought up masterbation in her presence and it wouldn't be the last. The bigger truth was, it wasn't the first time she'd been turned on hearing him talk about jerking off and… it likely wouldn't be the last.

I really need to get laid, Carol thought, annoyed at how horny she was feeling at 8:30 in the morning with a guy she surely wouldn't be having sex with anytime soon - if ever. She quickly squashed the voice in her head that peeped up with a "why not?" She'd been over the list of why she would not get involved with Daryl many times. It was long and she continued to add to it the more time she spent with him and the more famous he became.

"So what's the plan?" she asked. She decided to change the subject before it got any further out of hand.

"I can be ready in 15," Daryl replied, taking another drink of coffee. "You wanna grab some grub first? I can call my real estate buddy and see if he has any ideas of where to start."

"Works for me," Carol replied.

Half an hour later they were in a little cafe eating fresh baked croissants and drinking more coffee. "Okay, so he gave me an address of a place that's vacant right now. He called over and building security is gonna let us in to have a look," Daryl said after hanging up his cell. "If this one don't work he has one more to try, but I already don't like the location… rough area. I wouldn't be comfortable letting you stay there." Carol rolled her eyes, but didn't argue.

They finished up their breakfast and caught a cab to an apartment building several blocks away. She climbed out of the cab and wrapped her coat tightly around her. January in New York was a lot different than January in Atlanta. It was gonna take her a while to get used to the colder weather. By the time they got inside and made it up to the apartment she was shivering and shaking. The heat in the apartment was either really low or turned off completely because it didn't feel a whole lot warmer than it was outside.

"Oh c'mere," Daryl said, pulling her into a hug. "There, there, my little southern Belle," he teased her. "By the time you get back home you'll be complaining it's too hot."

"Yeah I don't think that's gonna happen," Carol replied, enjoying the warmth of his hug. She tucked her face into his neck and closed her eyes. Before long the shivering stopped, yet Daryl continued to hold her and she continued to enjoy it. When it started to get a little awkward she pulled back. "Thanks," she said. "Let's check this place out."

The apartment was nice. It was a bachelor style, fairly small, with a loft bedroom. But the best feature was the massive wall sized window that overlooked the New York skyline. The view was incredible. Daryl on the other hand was very obsessed with the loft. "Carol, come check this out," he called from up above. "It's like sleeping in a tree stand." She climbed the steps and joined him. "Come over here," he said, from the far side of the bed. "Okay, stand right there," he turned her to face out. "And bend over just a bit…" She obeyed and saw that from the angle she was at you could actually see out the top of the lower level window and had an even better view of the city.

"Don't you miss it?" Carol said, still leaning forward to look out the window. Even though it was a beautiful view it was buildings and cars and city. "The trees, and wildlife and… quiet."

Daryl settled his hands on her hips and leaned forward a bit with her. She didn't miss the fact that they were in a very compromising pose, but she ignored it when he spoke. "I do - quite often," he admitted. "But when you live here… there's just something special about the city that gets ya. Can't really explain it…" His voice trailed off. "But I'm always happy to come back to Georgia too. It's always gonna be home."

Carol was supposed to be looking out the big window, but she found herself closing her eyes to enjoy the feeling of having him close. The way his hands felt on her hips, and his groin area pressing into her ass lightly. Her heart started to pound and she forced her eyes open. She pressed up on him indicating she wanted to stand, needing to get away from him and put some space between them.

Be cool and calm, Carol told herself. "Okay, so this place should be fine… How much is it? And what do we do next?" She asked.

"Let me call him back and find out," Daryl replied, pulling out his cell. "It's a pretty decent price," he said after hanging up. "Only $5200…" Carol was nodding until he finished the sentence. "Per month."

"What? Are you serious?" Carol sputtered. "I wasn't even paying that much for the entire stay at the other place."

"In Manhattan?" Daryl looked at her curiously. She nodded. "How much was the guy charging?"

"5 grand for the whole stay," Carol replied.

"Holy shit," Daryl looked shocked. "He your ex boyfriend or does he owe you something?"

"What? No, of course not," she scoffed. "He said he was only charging me what he pays."

"Then he has got to be fucking his landlord… or it was a dive… but in that area… there aren't many dives…" Daryl looked extremely perplexed.

"Well, I don't know… but this place is way too expensive," Carol insisted.

"And I ain't even taking you to that other neighborhood," Daryl was firm on that so she didn't bother to argue. He would know better than her anyway.

"Well I might as well just find a hotel I guess," she sighed. She knew it would be extremely difficult to find a last minute, short term rental right in the city and she really didn't feel like heading out to one of the boroughs and having to rent a car and commute every day.

"Carol," he said. "Stay at my place."

"No," she replied quickly. "I can't. I'm not sleeping on a couch for 2 months and I won't take T-Dog's room. Where would he sleep when he visits?"

"Well, first of all he won't be visiting while you're here. He really doesn't stay with me that often." Daryl explained. "And secondly, I have a third room. I would just have to clear it out a bit and have a bed delivered."

"You're not gonna buy a bed so I can stay with you for a couple months," Carol replied, crossing her arms.

"I was gonna do it soon anyway," Daryl shrugged. "I'm thinking of getting a different place and they suggested I make it look more like the three bedroom it really is."

"You're gonna move?" Carol asked in surprise. As far as she knew he loved the apartment.

"Maybe," he replied. "The building is getting old and there are some newer places not too far away… just something I've been thinking about." He smiled at her. "Come on, stay at my place. It'll be fun. We get along well. We can live together for a couple months." He looked so excited about the idea already. "We'll be like… like… Three's company - without Chrissy." Carol eyed him, wondering if he knew how Three's Company ended. "Say yes, you know you wanna," he pleaded. "I'll be on my best behaviour and I have like 3 damn cons so I'll be away a bit and you'll have the place to yourself… Please?"

Oh no, he was pulling out the puppy dog eyes. As much as she wanted to say no… as much as she thought it was a terrible idea… as much as her mind was telling her to be firm… her heart gave in. "Okay, we can give it a try," she said, watching his eyes light up. "But I'm holding you to the best behaviour thing… even if it is your place," Carol warned.

"Yes," he exclaimed, looking so happy it made her feel, at least for a moment, like she'd made the perfect decision. "Let's go," Daryl said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Where are we going now?" Carol asked.

Daryl grinned and pecked her quickly on the cheek, "We're going bed shopping, Pookie."


	3. Chapter 3

Carol had to admit it was really nice to travel around the city with a local. Daryl actually knew Manhattan like the back of his hand. He knew places. He knew people. He knew the best way to get from point A to point B. And most importantly - Carol felt safe with him. New York was scary to her. She really, really wasn't a big city kind of girl. She didn't like crowds, the hustle and bustle, the fast pace or the lack of… southern charm. But, even though she'd just arrived, he was making it easier already and she was incredibly thankful for that.

"A private mattress store?" Carol asked again. "This is so strange." The cab dropped them off in front of a large building with no name on it. Daryl had explained on the way over that he knew a place they could get a bed but it was appointment only. He made a quick call and they were lucky enough to get an immediate appointment.

"It's actually brilliant," Daryl replied. "This guy insists that you should never buy a bed you ain't laid in first. And some people just aren't comfortable trying em out in public. Plus," he gave her a smile. "New York has a lot of celebrities. And some celebs like to keep their private life private." He held open the door and waved her in. "Imagine if a photo of you and I bed shopping together popped up on Instagram or Twitter?"

Carol realized he had a good point. "Well I know all those girls who are in love with you would pounce at me with their fangs bared," she replied with a laugh. "It's not easy to be the lady in Daryl Dixon's life… real or imagined."

"We don't have one of those couple names… that's what makes it official ya know," he said, glancing at her. "What could ours be? Pixon? Deltier? Darol… or Caryl? Yeah, I think I like the last one," he said with a nod.

"But the last one was just my name," Carol said, feeling confused.

"Nah," Daryl shook his head. "It's Caryl. With a Y. C-A-R-Y-L."

"Still sounds like Carol to me," she muttered.

"It's different," he insisted. "Caryl. Say it… Caryl, like ullllll not ollllllll." She stared at him blankly. "Try it."

"Carol," she said. He shook his head. "Carol?" Daryl shook his his head again. She sighed and tried again, "Car...yl. Caryl."

"Got it," he proclaimed happily. "See, they do sound different. And that's us now - Caryl."

"Okie dokie," Carol replied, rolling her eyes.

"Yup, we are now official" he said, smacking her ass lightly. "Alert the tabloids."

They were both laughing when they pushed open the doors to a huge showroom filled with beds. "Holy shit…" Carol muttered, looking at the sea of mattresses. They were greeted by a short, yet larger than life, Italian man named Vinnie. She fell in love with him instantly and listened attentively while he explained the way the showroom was set up.

"You have the firm over here on the left and they get softer as you move towards the right. But each section is also divided by type - your pocket coils, pillow top, euro top, memory foam, gel, etcetera," he spoke, with a thick but adorable accent. Carol loved the passion he had for what he did. "Try as many as you like. The place is yours for a full hour if you need it," he explained. "I will be down the hall in my office. But if you have any questions just push this," he handed her a little device with a red button on it. "It buzzes in my office and I'll come right back to help." With that he left and they were alone in the huge room.

"So what do you like?" Daryl asked. "Soft… medium… hard…"

"Oh definitely not firm," Carol replied, correcting him and ignoring the flirty undertones.

"Hmm," he muttered. "Mine is fairly firm you know," Daryl added, trailing along after her.

"Your bed?" she asked. Carol decided this was just gonna end up one huge conversation filled with sexual innuendos so she might as well give in early and enjoy it.

"Ha, that too," Daryl chuckled.

She rolled her eyes again, but smiled. Daryl's older brother Merle was probably the most perverted man she'd ever met and he made no attempt to hide it. As bashful as Daryl was early on in their friendship she knew he'd learned all Merle's best lines and that he knew how to flirt, but it just took a while for him to be able to do it without turning the color of a tomato afterwards. "Let's start with the memory foam," she said. "Oh… these are expensive… let's go back to the pillow tops."

"It's fine," Daryl said, kicking off his shoes and jumping onto the nearest memory foam bed. "Hey, this isn't too bad," he said, stretching out. "Come try it." They definitely had different perspectives on money, but then again… Daryl made a lot more than she did. Not that he didn't work for it or deserve it. He worked hard. He attended a lot of conventions and did several projects every year on top of the television show he was on. He earned every penny and he enjoyed spending it too.

Carol slipped out of her boots and climbed in beside him. "I've never actually slept in a memory foam before," Daryl announced. "But I bet they aren't as great for…" He bounced up and down a bit.

"Well it's a good thing I don't have to worry about that then isn't it?" Carol replied.

"What? Why not? You're gonna be at my place for 2 months. I don't mind if you bring someone home," he said, propping up on his elbow. Carol wasn't exactly sure how to reply to that. It was weird to even think about bringing some random guy back to Daryl's place, not to mention having sex with him across the hall. But on the other hand, she had no doubt that there would be similar things happening in his room several times during her stay. "Unless you wanna…" Daryl scooted closer and put his hand lightly on the side of her hip. "Ya know, hook up while you're here? Save us both the trouble of having to look elsewhere."

"Well then why on earth do we need another bed?" Carol replied. "When we have yours?"

Daryl knew she was joking, just as much as he had been. He kissed the tip of her nose. "I love you," he chuckled.

"I know," Carol sighed. "Can't say I blame you." Daryl snorted and climbed over her, getting out on her side of the bed. One well timed swipe of her leg or arm and she could have had him right on top of her. The idea was a bit more appealing than it should have been. Carol blamed it on the abundance of flirting and her rather long drought in the department of male company. But she did check out his ass while he climbed out of the bed. It was only fair, she knew he checked out hers every chance he got.

They tried the gel beds next which were even more expensive, but Carol didn't like them. Ironically enough, it turned out to be a pillow top that she liked the best, though it wasn't significantly cheaper like she'd expected. "This is perfect," she sighed, sinking into the bed and closing her eyes.

The mattress bounced as Daryl practically dove in on the other side. "Oh, it's kinda squishy," he commented, wiggling and bouncing. She could have easily fallen asleep without him squirming around. "You sure about this one?" he asked, flopping about some more.

"Yes," she replied instantly. "Just stop moving, lay still… and relax. It's like sleeping on a cloud," she added dramatically.

"Or quicksand," Daryl muttered in reply, shifting around yet again.

Carol sat up and gave him a look. "Just trust me and relax," she said. "Deep breath… close your eyes…" He obeyed. "See, isn't this nice…" Daryl squirmed and she grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head. "Stay still," she hissed.

His eyes flew open and Daryl grinned at her. "Or what?" he asked, moving his hips. Carol glared at him and took the challenge. She slipped a leg over his midsection and stopped the movement. "Hmm, I think I like where this is going," he said. "This bed is getting more comfortable every second."

"Shut up and relax," Carol ordered.

"I'll try," Daryl sighed in defeat. "But I'm not sure how you expect me to relax with your ass pressed firmly against my…"

"You're impossible," she groaned, slipping off him. Daryl adjusted himself immediately.

"You're the one who climbed on top of me and told me to relax," Daryl shot back. Once again, he had a point. It was a stupid, impulsive move on her part. But she'd be lying if she tried to deny the fact that she… enjoyed it. Maybe later, lying alone in the new bed, she would let her mind wander to what it would be like to dominate Daryl. Being on top of him like that, even for a second, felt rather empowering. "What's that weird smirk for?" he asked, bringing her back to present.

"Oh nothing," Carol replied. "This is the one I want," she said confidently.

And with those words Daryl finally relaxed long enough to understand her decision. "Okay, you might be right… this is actually pretty comfy."

"I was what?" Carol teased. "Did you just admit I was… right?"

"Don't get used to it," he replied, getting out of bed to grab the button to call Vinnie.

"When can you deliver?" Daryl asked, after everything was settled and paid for.

"Ah, my delivery van could very well make it to your apartment before you do Mr. Dixon," Vinnie replied with a smile.

He wasn't kidding. They had just walked in the front door of Daryl's apartment when the buzzer sounded. "Holy shit, they're here already?" Carol muttered. "How will we get that room cleaned out in time?"

Daryl buzzed them up before he spoke, "Come see." She followed him down the hall curiously. She gasped when she walked into the room. It looked like… a bedroom… the only thing missing was a bed.

"How?" she asked, completely bewildered. There was even a flat screen TV mounted on the wall.

"As soon as you said you'd stay I sent a few text messages," he replied with a shrug, as if it was nothing. "I have peeps," he added with a smile.

"Thank you," Carol said, genuinely. She walked over and hugged him. "You're pretty amazing

sometimes, Dixon."

"Sometimes?" he asked, hugging her back. They were interrupted by the delivery men arriving. It took them less than 15 minutes to set up the bed and they were gone. When the two of them walked back into the bedroom it was complete.

"The bed is made?" Carol said, giving him a look.

"Part of Vinnie's deal," he explained. "Sheets and a duvet with every mattress." Carol smiled at the sentiment. "Told you he was brilliant." Daryl gestured for her to get in bed. "Let's see how it feels in its new home."

"I didn't think it was possible," Carol moaned. "But it feels even better." She rolled on her side and faced Daryl who was looking at her. "I'm gonna sleep like a baby tonight."

"Do you start work tomorrow?" he asked. A pang of nerves stuck her with the mention of why she was really in New York. "Hey… what's wrong?" She knew her eyes gave her away every time, unless she really focused on hiding it.

"I have one more day off but, I'm a bit nervous about the role," Carol admitted.

"Pfft," Daryl scoffed. "You're amazing. You'll kill anything they throw at you."

"I don't know…" she sighed. "There are a couple scenes that are… uh… very different for me."

"Like what?" he asked. Daryl started to smile. "Do you have love scenes in this movie?"

"Maybe," she said with a pout.

He laughed. "You'll be fine. You've done a bit of that before, right?" Carol shook her head. "Nothing?"

"I kissed a guy in one movie, one time," she said, with a slight blush.

"Hmm," Daryl replied. "Well how intense are we talking?"

Carol blushed harder. "Let's just say… the world is gonna see a whole new side of me. And that side… ain't gonna be wearing much."

Daryl was grinning like an idiot. "This is the best thing ever."

She sat up and whacked him with her pillow. "I hate you."


	4. Chapter 4

"Where's your script?" Daryl asked. He still had a very amused smirk on his face that both irritated and delighted her. Daryl wasn't the type of guy she could get angry with very easily, no matter how annoying he acted. And the rare times she did get mad at him she felt awful afterwards. He had this damn face, like when you yell a puppy that knows he did something wrong. And instead of feeling satisfied that you took control of the situation... You just end up wanting to grab him, hug him and console him from that awful ogre who just gave him shit - even if you were the damn ogre.

"It's in my suitcase," Carol replied.

"Go get it, let me look," he said in a tone that was a question and demand at the same time.

"Oh fine," she sighed, starting to climb over him, since she was trapped against the wall on her side.

Daryl rolled onto his back as she climbed. "Starting to make a habit of getting on top of me aren't you?"

She shot him a look. But on her way out she couldn't help herself, "don't get too excited. I don't even like being on top."

"What do you like?" he called after her.

Carol stopped and peeked her head back in the door. "It really isn't any of your business now is it?"

"Nope, not at all," Daryl shook his head. "But if you feel like answering..."

The answer truly depended on her mood and the situation. The current situation called for an answer that would make him squirm. Carol crossed her arms and stared at him for a moment before giving Daryl a wicked smile. "I like it when a guy takes me from behind," she replied, watching his smile get bigger. "That's of course after he's thoroughly pleasured me..." she started to leave but turned her head and finished the sentence over her shoulder. "With his tongue."

She left with a satisfied smile at his groan and chose to ignore the reply about how incredible his tongue was. She had no doubt his tongue was quite magnificent but cringed slightly at the thought of the many places that tongue had been. Daryl did love to lick stuff. How many times had she seen him lick and suck his fingers while he ate? Would it really be so bad to have him explore her with that tongue? Lick her nipples and trail down her stomach to her... Carol walked right into the end of the couch, lost in her inappropriate fantasy.

Saved by the sofa, she thought with a smile. She quickly dug out the script and returned to the bedroom. "Scoot," she said, not planning on climbing back over him again. He moved over and she plopped the script on his chest before hopping back in bed beside him.

"Holy crap... My scripts don't look like this," Daryl commented, in reference to the fact that she had colored flags on every page she had lines on and the lines were all perfectly highlighted with notes scribbled along all the margins.

"I know," she said dryly. "I've seen your coffee stained, food splattered, corners folded over, ridiculously pen-circled scripts before."

Daryl grinned, looking at her over the script. "It's all part of my process."

"I don't even want to know what else is part of your process," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Or what else ends up on that script," he muttered, flipping open to the first spot she'd marked. "Oh wow," he commented. "Helloooooo Angela." He gave her a sideways glance. "You really make quite the first appearance, don't you?"

"Don't remind me," Carol sighed. Her heart started to pound as the anxiety set in. She had the first scene burned into her brain in a matter of minutes. There wasn't a lot of dialogue… it was more gasping, sighing and a bit of screaming. This first scene was the worst. There were only 2 other love scenes and both were very brief. It was the scene Daryl was reading that made her turn down the role, even though she absolutely loved the character and the way she fit into the storyline of the movie. If it was a bigger budget movie that made it into theaters - beyond the indie film festivals - it actually had a shot at awards.

Carol closed her eyes and tried to take comfort in the fact that the worst scene would be filmed first and then it was over and it was smooth sailing from there. But it wasn't working. She was terrified she'd get fired before the smooth sailing began.

"Woahhhhh," Daryl chuckled. "That was ho…" He stopped when she opened her eyes.

"Fuck, Carol, you're really stressing about this aren't you? God, I'm an ass. I'm sorry." He moved over closer and she put her head on his shoulder and snuggled up against him. "No more joking about the scene, I promise."

"Maybe that's what I need," Carol sighed. "Maybe I'd be better off to joke about it, then take it seriously to the point I'm losing sleep."

"Nah, I know you," he replied, gently stroking her shoulder in a way that was supposed to be comforting, but she couldn't help but find it more sensual. "The best thing for you is to be completely prepared going in." She knew he was right. "Listen, let me read through this tonight," Daryl said. "I've done lots of different love scenes. I'm sure I can give you some ideas and pointers that will help with the scene and make you feel more comfortable." Carol nodded. "Also… might help if I tell you about my very first love scene…" His cheeks went red and suddenly her interest was piqued. "I was so nervous I couldn't eat or I would throw up for 3 days before we filmed. Almost passed out that morning because I barely had any food for all that time. I managed to keep down a bagel and headed off to film. Got into the scene and it was actually going okay... Then the next thing I knew I had an epic boner." Carol snorted, she couldn't help it. But he didn't look mad, he smiled back at her.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"I jumped the fuck out of the bed and ran to the bathroom… barfed again, which was okay since my dick went back to normal," he chuckled. "But I couldn't go back and kiss the actress after just barfing so… I stole someone's toothbrush that was in there and brushed my teeth… only to end up barfing again. Finally I gave up, told the director I had the flu and booked it home."

"Oh man," Carol sighed. "That was rough… you never told me about that before though?" They had been friends for years and she wondered why he'd never mentioned it.

"Never told anyone," he admitted with a shrug. "Never planned on telling anyone, but I thought it might help you to know that it wasn't easy for me either - more of a big fucking disaster actually."

Carol sat up. "Thank you," she said, giving him a grateful look. "So, we gonna spend all day in bed or what?" she laughed, realizing they'd spent a lot of time laying on mattresses.

"Don't knock it til you've tried it," Daryl said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Oh believe me, I've tried it," she flirted back.

"Mmm, but not with me," Daryl teased back.

Carol slipped out of bed. "Careful Dixon, you might be stuck in this room all night… not sure that ego will fit through the door."

In about 3 seconds flat he was behind her, whispering in her ear, "Wouldn't you love that? Me, in here… in your bed… all night… Me and my, uh, large… ego."

"Oh no, I hear there's a nice, uh, hard… bed across the hallway that would be empty." Carol was making damn sure he knew he couldn't out maneuver her. Over the years Daryl had developed game that he'd been seriously lacking when they first met/ Now, he most definitely had game - he had a lot of game, but she did too and she loved a challenge.

"Whaddya say we get some supper? We skipped lunch and I'm starving," Daryl replied. Carol was satisfied that she'd met his challenge and couldn't hide the smile of satisfaction. "You're a dork," he added, knowing exactly what the smile on her face meant. They wandered out towards the kitchen. "You wanna go out or order in?"

"Neither," she answered, leaning on the counter.

"Neither?" Daryl echoed. "Are you not hungry?"

"Yep," Carol nodded.

"Okay… so are we heading out or do you want take out?" he asked again.

"Neither," she replied. The look of frustration and confusion on his face made her laugh.

"There's a third option." She batted her eyelashes at him, "I want you to cook for me."

"Ha," Daryl snorted. "No you don't. I don't cook. You know that."

"I'll be out in the living room. You may bring me a glass of wine to start. Something white… sweet…" She risked a glance back as she walked out of the kitchen. Daryl looked dumbfounded, frozen in place, unable to speak. She'd rendered him speechless and it was the best moment between them - ever.

Carol had just got comfortable and turned on the TV when Daryl came in with a glass of white wine. "Where's yours?" she asked taking the glass from him.

"I'm drinking straight from the bottle," he replied. "I'm hoping it inspires me and somehow improves my cooking so we can at least eat the food I'm making."

"What are you making?" Carol asked curiously.

"I don't fucking know," he sighed. "I spent that whole time looking for the whine. Oh and chopping an onion because it was the only vegetable in my fridge." Carol laughed at his honesty. "Now I'm trying to figure out how that goes with PB and J sandwiches."

She took a sip of the wine. It was perfect. Even if dinner was terrible, at least the alcohol was spot on. "Want me to come help?"

"Yes," he replied the second the words were out of her mouth. Carol had really just wanted to see if he would actually fulfil her request...err… demand. And now that she knew he was going to try, she was happy to help. She grabbed her wine and followed him back to the kitchen. "So what can we make with an onion, peanut butter, jelly and white bread?" Daryl asked.

"Hmm… what else do you have?" she replied. Carol had always been an amazing cook and she was very creative and resourceful in the kitchen.

"Not much," Daryl said, opening the fridge. "Eggs, milk… what the fuck is that?" he picked up something and took it straight to the garbage. "Umm, these noodle things," he held up a pack. "And sadly… that's about the extent of it."

"You can't be serious," Carol said, walking over to look in the fridge. "Daryl, seriously?" The fridge was pretty much bare. "I guess you're taking me grocery shopping tomorrow," she sighed. "Soooo, pizza it is."

"I'm sorry," Daryl said. "I was gonna try, I really was."

"I know," Carol smiled at him. "This wine… is amazing. You did good." He had that puppy dog look and she couldn't resist giving him a quick peck on the cheek. And for once he didn't make a dirty joke, he simply smiled back.

"What do you want on the pizza?" he asked, picking up his phone. Carol told him what she wanted and listened while he ordered.

An hour later they were sitting in the living room finishing the last of the wine and the last of the pizza. "Let's do something fun," Daryl said, jumping up.

"Like what?" Carol asked. She knew their idea of fun was often very different.

"Twister," he announced.

"Twister? Like the game with the colored circles?"

"Yep," he replied, pulling a box out from the bottom drawer of the coffee table. "Someone gave it to me at a con… no idea," he continued when Carol shot him a confused look. "But I ain't never played it before so, you wanna?"

Carol was just drunk enough to agree. "Okay. Let's do it." He spread the mat out on the floor.

"Right foot green," he announced after flicking the spinner. She shrugged and put her right foot on a green dot. "Left hand yellow," Daryl said, leaning over and placing his left hand on a yellow dot. He flicked again. "Left foot red."

"Red," she sighed. "That's way over there…" Carol slid her foot to the other side of the mat and put it on a red dot. It wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. She tried not to laugh at the fact TV and Film star Daryl Dixon was playing Twister of all things. Although, from what she'd heard about Daryl before he became an actor… the fact he was now a big time celebrity was hilarious in itself.

"Hmm, left foot blue," Daryl said. He gave her a sly look. Instead of putting his foot on the closest blue dot he slipped his foot between her legs and reached for the dot behind her, leaving him an a very awkward arch that was totally unnecessary. When he finally spun a hand position for her things got interesting. She couldn't put her hand anywhere without leaning right on top of him.

"Was this part of the plan," Carol asked, realizing that Daryl had a full view right down the front of her shirt.

"I wish I could say it was," he replied, not bothering to hide the fact he was staring at her tits.

"Love the color of that bra though," Daryl added. Another couple of spins and they were twisted together like a couple of pretzels. "This works better with a third person doing the spinning he said, struggling to flick the spinner again. "Left foot yellow," he announced.

Carol was pretty sure it was impossible for her to get her left foot on any yellow dot, but she was sure as hell gonna try. She wiggled and stretched, but couldn't quite reach. The only way it would work would leave Daryl's face pretty much directly between her legs. He knew it too and had a ridiculous smile on his lips. What kind of moron starts the game facing upwards? she wondered. A perverted moron, who has played this game one too many times and knows exactly what he's doing, Carol answered herself. This was not Daryl's first round of Twister - she'd been played - again.

Well she certainly wasn't about to lose. She was way too competitive for that. Carol made her move and immediately wished she had of just taken the loss. She could feel his head between her thighs and it was so damn erotic she knew she was getting her panties wet.

She blamed the wine this time. Too much wine had her sex drive on high alert. Daryl's fucking face was between her legs and even fully clothed it was driving her insane.

"You're gonna have to tell me what I spin," Daryl said. With his words came heat and vibration - two things she did not need to be happening between her legs at that moment.

"Right hand green," she said, looking at the board. Daryl couldn't see a thing as he groped around, trying to reach a green dot on the far side of the mat. "Little father," she instructed him, trying to ignore the little movements and the fact that her body was screaming to be attended to. He went to reach out a bit more and bumped into her hand. Carol slipped and they both went crashing down into a heap on the floor. Daryl started to laugh and she found herself giggling right along with him. Two adults, slightly drunk, playing twister on a Tuesday night. It was rather ridiculous. But she also loved the relationship she had with Daryl - they could be total dorks and it was perfectly normal.

It wasn't until the laughter died down that they both started to realize where they had ended up. Once again, Carol was on top of him and her hand… well, it was touching an area it shouldn't have been touching. An area that shouldn't have felt quite as firm as it did. "Oh God," she muttered, pulling her hand away and shifting.

"Well that was fun," he said, with that damn sexy grin that she loved so much. But Carol didn't smile back. There were too many conflicting emotions going on inside. Instead she stared at him and Daryl simply stared back.

"I should probably get some sleep," Carol announced, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah, me too. But I wanna read that script first," he replied, untangling his legs from hers and standing up. After adjusting himself and not even trying to hide how turned on he was, Daryl offered a hand and pulled her to her feet. She took a deep breath, quickly headed down the hall to her room and grabbed the script they'd left there earlier. She handed it to him and stood in the doorway. "I had fun tonight," she said honestly, even with all the weird emotions still swirling.

"Me too," Daryl replied. Again, she left the door wide open for flirting, but he didn't take it. It was strange, but sweet, in a way that intrigued her. With a little wave he turned to head towards his own room.

"Daryl," she called out. "You better keep both hands on that script."

"Well fuck, there goes my plans for the next 3 minutes," he said with a laugh. "Night."

"Night," she replied, closing the door to her room. She slipped off her clothes and started to dig through her suitcase for pajamas. "Oh what the hell," she muttered, looking down at her body, naked except for her panties. Carol gave up looking for the PJs, wiggled out of the panties and climbed into bed nude.


	5. Chapter 5

Carol stretched out in her new bed and realized right away that Vinnie had provided some high quality sheets. She decided it was certainly worth paying a little more for the bed to buy it from him. She didn't always sleep naked. More often than not she wore pajamas, especially in the winter months when it was chilly outside. She loved her big warm flannel jammies. But she couldn't deny how good it felt to be nude and enjoy the feel of the cotton on her skin and the complete freedom. The only problem was… being naked in bed always seemed to increase her libedo. And she was already trying to deal with the fire that was lit during their little game of twister.

Carol closed her eyes and tried to ignore the desire to touch herself. There was absolutely no reason that she couldn't give herself pleasure. But it just felt… a bit too desperate or something, to have no control over her urges. She wondered how far Daryl had got in the script, or if he'd even started it yet. He had a massive hard on when he left her and she had no doubt he'd be taking care of it. Shit, she thought. He was right across the hall and was likely jerking off. How was she supposed to sleep with that image lingering in her mind? She didn't know what he looked like completely naked, but she had a wonderful imagination.

Finally she decided to just give in. Was it wrong to use thoughts of Daryl to get off? If he knew she would never live it down. But what he didn't know wouldn't hurt… either of them. She spread her hands out over her stomach and moved up to fondle her breasts. Her nipples were sensitive from being so aroused and she couldn't hold back the sigh as she pinched and rolled them lightly. Carol let one hand wandered down her body, while the other continued to play with a breast.

It was second nature. Carol knew what she liked and how to pleasure herself, with or without toys. But as she found the sweet spot and started to rub slow circles, picturing Daryl moving his fist up and down his shaft, she wondered if maybe she would prefer to dig out the vibrator. She was very aroused though and torn between wanting the bullet and not wanting to stop doing what was already feeling so incredible.

She let her fingers move lower and felt how wet she was, then slipped 2 fingers inside, lifting her hips and grinding slowly against her own hand. She was still considering grabbing the toy when she heard a wrap on the door. Before she even had a chance to remove her fingers Daryl came waltzing in. "Hey, I hope I didn't wake you, but I have a question," he announced, plopping down on the edge of the bed.

Her heart was pounding and she was pretty sure her fucking jaw was hanging open, yet she couldn't seem to formulate words or even get her mouth to close. Her goddam fingers were in her vagina and Daryl was perched less than a foot away. Carol slowly attempted to remove them without drawing attention to where her hand was under the blankets. She also tried to ignore the fact that he was once again shirtless, wearing nothing but his freaking underwear.

Daryl turned to flip on the lamp and she quickly got her hands into the safe zone before he turned back. "To figure out the best advice I gotta know what you're wearing in these scenes. Have you talked to wardrobe about that yet? About how you're gonna be discreet during the scenes?"

"You came barging in here to ask just exactly how nude I'm gonna be?" Carol said, gaping at him. How fucking ironic was that?

"It's important," he replied, looking slightly offended by her tone. "I'm trying to help you. I need

the details."

And there it was… that look, followed by her feeling like shit for being irritated. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I don't know for sure yet. But I can text wardrobe in the morning and see if she can give me an idea of why I'll be wearing."

"And him," Daryl interrupted. Carol gave him a look. "Do you want to be prepared or not? Makes a difference if he's gonna be covered enough to keep on his underwear or if he'll be tucking his junk in a sock."

"Oh God…" her face was burning at the thought of her co-star wearing nothing but a damn sock.

"It's okay, I'm gonna help you be ready for this," Daryl said with a smile. "I just need the details first. I'll let you sleep now, sorry for barging in." He turned to shut the lamp off. "Damn, I turned it the wrong way… here can you hold this," he held out the script. Carol hesitated and he gave her a strange look, which slowly turned to a smile and she carefully pulled one bare arm out from under the covers, keeping them tucked tightly to hide her boobs. "You're naked under there aren't you?" he asked, handing her the script.

"You think I was lying when I told you I sleep naked?" she sassed him back.

"Actually, I did… this is an interesting development." he mumbled, his eyes trailing down the shape of her body under the covers. "Where's your other hand?" he asked, smirking again.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Carol replied, pushing up the blankets where her hand was now resting on her stomach. "Can we sleep now?"

"I suppose," Daryl agreed. He turned the lamp off and the room was dark again, except for the little bit of light creeping in from the hallway. Carol handed him back the script.

"Night," she said, watching him walk towards the door.

"Sweet dreams," Daryl replied, stopping in the doorway. He rubbed his hands over his chest and moved them down until the tips of his fingers were just inside the waistband of the boxers. "It's okay if you want to think of me tonight," he teased.

"Get out," Carol said with a laugh. She'd realized as of late there was a lot of Merle hiding inside of Daryl that was finally coming out. The flirting, the confidence, the charm… it was probably there all along, but now that Daryl had really made something of himself and put the tragedies of his childhood behind him… now that he had a taste of success and felt the love of not only friends and family, but strangers… it had allowed him to be confident and be proud of himself. The insecurities were still there, Carol knew that, and when he got quiet and shy sometimes she knew what he was thinking, but it was really good to see how far he'd come.

"Okay… I'm going…" Daryl replied, turning and bending slightly, then seductively rubbing a butt cheek.

"You're such an ass," Carol said. "Go to bed."

Daryl laughed and left, pulling the door closed behind him. Finally she felt like she could breathe again. Carol let out a long deep breath and decided that his intrusion was a sign that she needed to keep her hands far away from her nether regions and go the fuck to sleep. It didn't stop her from letting her mind appreciate his sexy form one last time before she nodded off.

The next morning Carol was up, showered and dressed, all set to head out and shop for groceries as soon as Daryl was ready. While she was waiting she sent a quick embarrassing text to the wardrobe lady for the movie and drank her morning coffee. When he still hadn't appeared almost an hour later she was starting to get impatient. She decided to kill some time wandering around the house, checking out photos on the wall, nick nacks on the mantle and the view from the balcony door.

When she couldn't stand it anymore she tromped down the hall and banged on his bedroom door. "Let's go Sunshine, you promised to take me grocery shopping."

Daryl appeared at the door with a towel around his waist, a toothbrush stuck in his mouth, damp wispy hair and a laptop. "Here yuu oo," he mumbled handing her the computer. "Fresh direct," he added, pulling out the brush so she could understand him. "It's in my Chrome bookmarks. Go ahead - grocery shop. I'll be out soon." With that he closed the door.

"What the actual fuck?" Carol muttered out loud. "Fresh direct?" She took the laptop out to the kitchen and booted it up. "Online grocery shopping? You have got to be kidding me. Who does that?"

"Lots of people," Daryl answered her rambling as he walked into the kitchen.

"But I don't want to shop online," Carol replied, it sounded really whiney but she didn't care. "Can't we go to the supermarket?"

"The Supermarket?" Daryl snorted. "Baby, you're not in Newnan anymore." What the hell is he talking about, Carol wondered. "We don't have big supermarkets in Manhattan," he explained. "There are grocery stores, but the selection is limited and they're always crowded. And sometimes there are cats in the aisles and they rub my legs and I get all sneezy for two days."

"Cats… in the grocery store?" Carol was baffled. "Isn't that like… against health regulations or something?"

"Probably," he nodded. "But I don't know about you… I prefer cats to rats..."

"Oh… yeah…" she agreed. "Well, Fresh Direct it is. How soon do they deliver?"

"Pay the extra fee and they'll be here within a couple hours or you can select a delivery time for tomorrow," he replied. "I'll be home all morning if you want to just have them come then."

"This is so weird," she said, looking at the screen and starting her first trip to the virtual grocery store. Within a few minutes she was actually kinda enjoying herself as Daryl watched her in amusement. "This isn't all bad," she announced. "But I do kinda miss picking out my produce."

"You miss squeezing melons?" Daryl asked. "Not too firm, not too squishy," he added, making a grasping gesture with his hands.

Carol ignored him. "Okay, all done," she announced. "I used your card on file, but I'll pay next time." She closed the laptop. "Should be here at 11am tomorrow." She stood up. "Now where are you taking me? Since I'm all ready to go somewhere."

Daryl shrugged, "Wanna walk or drive?"

"Hmm… maybe drive," she decided, thinking of how cold it was out there and how difficult it was to get anywhere with Daryl being stopped every 3 seconds for photos. It was absolutely the right call. Carol had such an amazing time spending almost the entire day seeing all the boroughs. Daryl knew so much about the history of the city and had cute stories about different places that he showed her. They had an early lunch at an amazing little Italian restaurant in Queens and picked up Sushi for supper at Daryl's favourite restaurant in the Bronx. Carol actually giggled when he suggested Sushi, thinking back to the early days when he swore he would never eat sushi - EVER. The sun was setting by the time they returned to the apartment.

"Holy crap, we drove around for 7 hours," she said with a smile as they walked inside. "And it feels like we just left." She couldn't believe how fast the day flew by.

"Come on, you gotta try this sushi," Daryl said, pulling out all the containers and spreading them around the table. "I swear to God, it's fucking orgasmic." This time she couldn't hold back the snort. "Shut up… my food choices have evolved."

Carol took the chopsticks he handed her and sat down. He was right, it was the best sushi she'd ever eaten. Even when she was sure she couldn't eat another bite she had to have one more roll. Stuffed, she watched Daryl still poking more food in his mouth. The man could eat, that was for sure. She realized she hadn't looked at her phone all day and pulled it out to see if wardrobe had replied. She had a few other text messages, but opened the one she was looking for first. "Oh God," she hissed, reading the text. She looked up at Daryl, horrified. "It's the sock… the damn sock."

She could tell he was struggling to keep a straight face. "I suspected that, reading the script…"

"But it gets worse," she said, feeling the panic starting to build. "I have to wear… a thong."

"Oh God, not a thong," he teased. "Shit, sorry, I said I wouldn't do that… but you should see your face." Carol felt her mouth twitching and it was her turn to fight off the smile. "Just relax. You have a beautiful ass. It's gonna be just fine, I promise."

"You've never seen my ass, how would you know?" Carol replied with a pout.

"Oh believe me, I may never have seen your ass naked, but I've looked at it enough over the years to know it's a great ass," he said, popping another bite of sushi in his mouth. She smiled at his honesty, feeling flattered. "How about those boobs?"

"Covered," she said with relief. At least there was one bit of good news from wardrobe.

"See, it's not as bad as you thought," he replied. "Good news for you and bad news for every woman loving man on the planet." He bit his lip. "So I've been thinking…" The lip bite threw her off because it was something he used to do when he was unsure of what he was about to say.

"Uh oh…" Carol said, legitimately nervous of where he was headed.

"I think it might help you if we rehearsed the scene a few times tonight," he said. Carol stared at him. He was dead serious.

"Rehearsed… a love scene… with you?" she said slowly. Daryl nodded. "Umm… no."

"What? Why not?" he looked wounded.

"Daryl... you read the scene… it's intense…" Carol started.

"Yep, and we are both professionals. It's a role. When you become Angela and I become Davis… it's about the characters, you know that," he tried to rationalize with her. "If you rehearse the scene with me and get really comfortable with it and what's required of you, it will be so much easier when you have to do it on set." His words made sense… but Carol just couldn't imagine acting out that scene with him. She couldn't imagine acting it out with anyone, but Daryl… he was her friend… her close friend. "Do you trust me?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and gazing at her intently. Dammit, that look…

"You know I do," Carol sighed.

"Then do this with me," he said, reaching forward and taking one of her hands in his. "Let me help you."

She couldn't believe what was happening but Carol found herself nodding. She did trust him and decided it was worth a try. It couldn't possibly make her feel any worse about the scene. "Okay, but… I'm gonna need wine for this," she said, giving him a little smile. "Lots and lots of wine."


	6. Chapter 6

"Uh Carol? You ready to start? Or were you planning on drinking the entire bottle of wine first?" Daryl asked, as she stared at the bottle contemplating a third glass.

"Well, if I drink until I pass out... We could avoid this awkward situation entirely, now couldn't we?" she said, reaching for the wine.

"Oh no you don't," Daryl snatched the bottle before she could grab it. "We're doing this. You already agreed it was a good idea. I let you get enough of a buzz to loosen up. Now its time, so suck it up princess."

"You just want to get all gropey McGropey pants with me. Admit it," she challenged.

Daryl grinned, "I won't deny that I'm going to enjoy the job perks. Very much. But I'm doing this for you." He actually looked and sounded quite sincere. "Be honest, don't you think it will go better if you've actually had a few complete run-throughs?"

"Yes, you're probably right," Carol admitted begrudgingly. "But... It's you... We're not supposed to kiss and ugh... Grind... And thrust..." her cheeks felt like they were on fire. The wine was sucking at its job. "Where's that AMC no thrusting policy when you need it," she muttered, referring to an inside joke about the network Daryl worked for.

"Do I have to remind you, yet again, that we aren't grinding and thrusting, Angela and Davis are," Daryl stated.

"Yeah, well something tells me Davis will need a cold shower after this," Carol replied.

"Hmm, you might be right," he nodded, with that stupid grin back on his face. Dammit, she thought, this is gonna get all steamy and he's gonna end up with a big boner again and I'm gonna be rubbing up against it and... Well fuck, it's gonna be bad. Good bad. Good? But bad.

"Do you have a robe?" he asked, interrupting her mental freak out. "Or do you want me to get you one?" He started to pull off his shirt.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

Daryl paused, "Um, I believe this scene starts with you showing up at the door in a robe and not much else. And me answering the door in my underwear."

"Well yeah, but we're not actually getting undressed to... Practice... It... Are we?" The look on his face told her the answer before she finished.

"Carol, the whole point is to make you feel comfortable before you have to do this on set. I'm assuming the nudity is a big part of what you're nervous about?" he paused for confirmation and she nodded. "So, we practice it. And you get used to it."

Carol was pretty sure she was gonna throw up. But she hated the fact that there was something, job related, that was terrifying her so much. I have to get over this, she thought. She took a deep breath. "Fine, but the underwear stay on, no fucking sock, got it?" If this was happening she had to have some terms. "And, Uh, I'm gonna need that robe," she added, with a little sigh.

Daryl went to his room and returned with a silky robe. It was way too big for her, but it would do. He started to remove his clothes and she turned her back to do the same.

"Really?" he chuckled. "We're both gonna see everything in about 2 minutes anyway."

Carol ignored him and finished changing. "It will be better for you, well for Davis, to see Angela in the moment," she said haughtily. Daryl rolled his eyes and she stuck out her tongue at him. Childish gestures on both parts, but very 'them.' "Don't you need the script?" she asked.

"Pfft, I have like 2 lines. I had them memorized the first read through," he scoffed arrogantly. "And believe me, I have this scene burned in my brain."

"Of course you do," Carol said, shaking her head. "Let's just get this over with. Are we using the whole house as the set? Or just sticking to the living room?" She knew there was no point in her deciding or he would just change everything anyway. He was in full on 'teacher' mode.

"Might as well use the whole place. We can end up in my bedroom," he added. "It'll work better for that one part where Davis is supposed to be grasping the headboard," Daryl grinned at her.

Carol sucked in a breath and tried to get herself into the mindset of her character. You're an actor now act, she told herself. She moved into the foyer by the front door and knocked on the wall. On set there would probably be a doorbell, but whatever. "I'm coming, I'm coming. What the hell," Daryl muttered. He got close and opened a fake door. "Jesus, Angie, it's fucking 3am. What are you doing here?"

"There's no 'fucking' in the script," Carol whispered.

"I know, I improvised. It sounds better," he whispered back.

Angela really didn't have much dialogue at all in this scene. It was all pure, lusty, seductive smut. Carol took a deep breath and untied the robe. She let it slip off her shoulders and fall to a puddle on the floor. She bit her lip and gave Daryl a sexy demure look. "You know why I'm here," she said, taking a step towards him. She tried to forget about the fact that she was walking towards Daryl in her bra and underwear, but she couldn't help but look for signs of him, and how he was reacting, as opposed to the character he was playing. But he was holding his own. Whether parts were him or not, he seemed to stay completely in character as she moved towards him.

Carol put a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes, "What's it gonna be Davis? Do you want me… to stay?"

Daryl stared back at her, his eyes filled with lust and desire. She couldn't help but wonder if he was really that good or if… it was more. She licked her lips a split second before he grabbed her arm and brought his lips crashing down on hers. He was kissing her. Daryl was kissing her. It was scripted, he was playing the part perfectly… but it… was… Daryl. Carol put her hands on his chest and shoved back. "I can't…" she muttered. "I can't…"

"Hey… it's okay," Daryl said soothingly. "You did great up until then. I swear, you were perfect."

She pouted, "It was like 10 seconds. There's a lot more than 10 seconds to go." She felt like a failure and allowed herself a moment of self pity before she found her inner strength and that little bit of fire she'd discovered earlier. "Again," she said, picking up the robe to start over.

The beginning was just fine the second time though and this time when they got to the kiss Carol went with it. She had to remember she was Angela and Angela was there to fuck Davis. Angela wanted the kiss so bad she was knocking on her neighbors door at 3am. Angela was turned on. Angela craved him. So Carol kissed Daryl back like she wanted to take him to bed. He'd been drinking whiskey while she'd had wine and she could taste it when he slipped his tongue into her mouth. It was going well. The kiss was just like it should have been. But when Daryl's hand moved down her bare back and grabbed her ass, just like it was scripted, she froze. It felt good. It felt too good.

"Dammit," she hissed, pulling back.

"Relax," he said. "Small steps are fine. We'll get through it." She must have looked panicked because he looked rather concerned.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine," she insisted. Was she convincing him? Or herself? "Let's just go from there," Carol said, regaining her focus again. Any other scene… any… other… scene and she would have nailed it. She moved back into his embrace and Daryl put his hand back on her ass.

"Before we start, the carrying part is coming up," he started. She realized she must have blocked that part out, or somehow forgot about it while worrying about all the thrusting that was to come. "It's scripted that you have your legs around my waist, you okay with that?"

Carol sighed, "Makes it pretty difficult for you to burry your face in my cleavage if we don't." He nodded and moved back to her mouth to resume the kiss and pick up the scene. As he groped her ass and pushed his tongue back into her mouth she tried to remember all the little bits and pieces from the script that she was supposed to be doing. The moans and gasps, the way she was supposed to be the one to start towards the bedroom, the little whimpers…

It didn't take long before Daryl stopped her. "You're focussing too much on the script," he announced. "I can tell. I used to do the same thing, until I had an amazing director that helped me." Carol wasn't offended by him wanting to give her advice or help. That's what they were there for and he had a lot more experience with this kind of scene than she did. "Let's try again and I want you to just forget what the script says you're supposed to do."

"But…" she started to interrupt.

"Trust me," Daryl insisted. "Just be Angela. The script is a great guideline, but don't force it. Just be."

Carol nodded and they started kissing again. She did exactly what he suggested. She threw it all away and just went with the kiss. Instead of moaning when the script told her to she moaned when it felt right. When he made that first squeeze of her ass Carol groaned into his mouth. When he pulled back slightly, catching her bottom lip with his teeth she allowed herself to tremble. And when it was time for her to take charge for a moment she just knew and started to move him backwards while they kissed.

Halfway down the hall Daryl pinned her against the wall and the shift brought her back to reality for a moment. He was kissing her, passionately, and pushing his body flush against her. His groin was right against hers and she couldn't help but wonder if he was starting to get hard. She suspected it was much different in the studio, with so many people watching and directing them, doing the take over and over again. But it had to happen once in awhile. It was one time she was incredibly thankful to be a woman. Definitely no penis envy at that thought.

Carol forced herself to focus. She really wanted to run through the scene one full time in hopes that if they tried certain parts a few more times they would just get easier. She ran her hands over the waistband of his underwear. It was the point where they were supposed to come off, but obviously they were skipping that part so she faked it as if she were pushing them down. Now it was her turn to grab his ass. She was thankful it wasn't bare because it was bad enough running her hands over his muscular butt as it was. Hell, it wasn't bad at all. It was really quite magnificent.

Carol sighed and turned her head as he found her neck and sucked lightly. She couldn't stop the physical reaction it created though. Her neck had always been a weak spot and there was suddenly a throb between her legs that was way too damn distracting. It didn't help that when Daryl shifted something hard brushed her, confirming her worst fears. He was turned on. She couldn't blame him, they'd been making out for a good 10 minutes by that point, from the first take they tried. But it was making her very squirmy and she had to fight the desire to touch him. If it was her, if this was Carol… she would have taken him in her hands and rubbed him through the thin material. She might have even dropped to her knees, pulled the underwear down and took him into her mouth.

She was so distracted that finally Daryl stopped again. "What's up?" he asked, taking a second to adjust himself. "Sorry," he said, giving her a smile. He knew there was no use attempting to hide something so obvious. "You were likely right about that shower," he said with a shrug.

The little break was all she needed to get the determination back again. "I'm okay, let's try to get through the rest without stopping. I need to get it all in."

"Okay," he nodded. "That was much better," he added, giving her his best 'I told you so' look.

"Might as well start with the carrying part," she suggested, sucking in a breath and getting ready. Daryl moved closer and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He reached for the backs of her legs, his hands warm on her skin, and she tried to help, though he didn't need it at all. In one swift motion he swept her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Let's do this," Carol said, holding on tight as he started to walk with her, blindly, because his face was in her boobs, with her hands tangled in his hair. She could feel his tongue and realized that the licking wasn't scripted, but it was fairly harmless compared to the nipping and sucking that was supposed to be happening anyway.

Daryl moved quickly to the bedroom and smoothly set her down in the middle of the bed. They were close to the end of the scene, but they had also made it to the most intense part. He climbed onto the bed and moved between her legs. Once again she had a split second of panic before she got back into the role. Davis… not Daryl. He was gripping the headboard and making thrusting motions. He was simulating sex, but if they were on screen it was real.

Carol was supposed to make sexual noises. She was supposed to cry out and beg for more. She was supposed to tell him how good it felt. And she wanted to… but all she could focus on was the fact that Daryl's dick was rubbing her. This was a bad idea, she screamed in her head. It was a bad idea because… she was so turned on. This wouldn't happen on set. She was sure of it. This was because it was him. But she couldn't grasp if that made the way she was feeling better or worse.

Carol suddenly realized that if he didn't stop… if he didn't stop she was going to come. No, no, no, her mind was freaking out, but it felt good. She needed it… she wanted it… If it happened would he know? Would he know it was real? Or would he just think she'd faked it amazingly well. Did she want to find out?

She felt the build and she knew she didn't want to stop. Suddenly it wasn't about the script. It wasn't even about the fact it was Daryl. None of it mattered. She wanted to get off. It was wrong. It was so wrong. But she couldn't bring herself to stop something that felt so good. Did he know he was grinding his cock right against her clit? Over and over… pushing her closer and closer to the edge. He must have known he was close. Maybe he was doing it on purpose. But it didn't fucking matter. She was getting what she wanted. She was using him.

In a brief moment of guilt she tried to turn it back around and convince herself that she was still playing a role. She tried to make it about Angela. But it wasn't. Jesus, she was so close. The sounds she was making, the begging, asking for more, pleading with him not to stop… it was real. And that moment when she finally hit her peak… Daryl was supposed to be playing along. Davis was supposed to come too in that perfect romance novel moment where it happens at the same time - when in reality it's rarely that way at all. But she had no idea if Daryl got it right because she was lost in something real.

When her eyes fluttered open he was looking at her and she had to start playing a new role. "That was mortifying," she muttered. "How am I going to do that on set?" she whined.

Daryl wasn't listening to a word she was saying. "Wow, that was really good. Holy shit Carol," he said climbing off of her. "Why the fuck are women so good at faking it?" he teased.

She sat up and tried to ignore the weakness in her body and the way her legs were quivering. He thought she faked it. She fucking got away with it. Carol smiled, "Guess it's just a talent we ladies have to keep from wounding male pride."

She had a secret. A dirty little secret that she was never going to tell him… ever.


	7. Chapter 7

Carol woke the next morning with flashes of the night before swirling in her mind. She swatted at the alarm and groaned. They had stayed up too late and she'd drank too much wine. She fumbled her way to the shower, trying to push the thoughts away and focus on the importance of the day ahead. They had rehearsed earlier parts of the scene multiple times, with breaks in between to drink. Carol refused another take of the final part and Daryl agreed because she had "faked it so well." Oh if you only knew, she thought, feeling a stirring inside followed by wave of guilt.

Was it really fair that she'd got off, with his help, and he didn't even know? It would have to be, she decided because the implications of telling him the truth were mortifying. She stepped into the shower, still thinking about it. He would tease the fuck out of her, for starters. But would he think it meant something? Would he wonder if she felt something for him? Would he want… payback? She let her mind wander to what payback could involve… a handjob?

Instantly Carol was disgusted with her train of thought. She tipped her face up into the hot water and groaned. Daryl was a cocky pervert these days - so far from the shy bad boy he'd been when he first started out. The business they were in, the place they had carved out for themselves in this world - it changed you. Not always in a bad way. She loved the old Daryl and she loved the man he'd become. And that man would absolutely love the fact that she was thinking about him that way. Which made it even worse.

She forced herself to think about her friends back home and her puppy, and how much she missed them in a valiant attempt to get all things Dixon out of her mind. It worked. She felt a longing to see her girls and her baby and the sadness was very effective at controlling her hormones.

By the time she got out of the shower, toweled off and started to get dressed the butterflies over her first day on set had firmly planted themselves in her stomach. Practicing the scene had definitely made her feel more comfortable with what she needed to do while filming - minus one part that would not be ending up the same way as it had the night before. But there was no way it was going to completely get rid of the nerves.

When she was ready she avoided a look in the mirror, she didn't want to see her eyes because she knew actually seeing how nervous she was would only make it worse. Carol glanced at her watch and realized she better get going. She still had to get down to the street and find a cab.

She crept quietly out of the bathroom and headed towards the door in the dark. They started filming fairly early and she wasn't sure how long it would take to get there in traffic, so she was headed out before the sun came up. When she got to the foyer a voice startled her and Carol screamed. "What the hell Daryl?" she said, her heart hammering in her chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm gonna drive you to work," he said, holding up the keys.

"Why are you even up?" she sighed.

"I'm gonna drive you to work," he repeated.

"I'm taking a cab," Carol said stubbornly. She was still mad at him for scaring her, even though she knew it wasn't exactly his fault.

"Oh come on, I'll just be bored… and you know what they say about idle hands." Daryl pleaded, with a little grin.

"Ha," Carol snorted, feeling the anger slip away. "I hardly think you need idle hands to do the devil's handiwork." She shook her head, "You're a bad boy, even when you're busy."

"I've discovered that ladies really, really love bad boys," he said. "Don't even try to deny it Peletier."

"Mmm, I suppose you have a certain amount of charm," she admitted, flirtatiously. "But I'm just a shy, quiet girl…"

"Yeah, okay," he interrupted. "That might be what you want the world to see, but I know you."

"I have secrets Daryl," she replied with a sexy smile. It was more truth than ever after the night before and she had to fight off the blush that was threatening her cheeks.

"Don't we all," he said, passing over her coat. "Let's go. Don't want you to be late for your first day Pumpkin."

When they were in the car, sitting in traffic Carol looked over at him. "Seriously, why were you up so early?" she asked. She was genuinely curious.

"I knew you'd still be nervous and I thought having company on the way would help," he replied. She couldn't see his eyes behind the sunglasses he'd put on when the sun started to rise.

"Awww," Carol gushed. "That's so sweet."

"Yeah, yeah, let's keep it between us though," Daryl replied, giving her a sly smile. "I don't want to ruin my rep."

Carol laughed, "You ruin your rep every time a cute kid comes up to your table at a con." If people didn't know what a softie Daryl was all they had to do was see him interact with a child and it became obvious.

"Guess I'm just a complex guy," he shrugged. "Ohhh, love this song," he added, as something on the radio caught his attention. "And the archer split the tree. There was a fanfare blowing to the sun that was floating on the breeze," he sang, completely off key. Daryl was a great actor but he was never going to star in a musical, that was for sure.

But it didn't matter how awful his singing voice was, when the man sang he was absolutely adorable and quite captivating. Carol listened to him sing along with the melancholy song, not missing a word, and for a few minutes she forgot all about what was coming up and the butterflies took a rest.

"Mother fucker," Daryl yelled suddenly, slamming his breaks. "Learn to drive asshole," he hissed as Carol watched a little sports car just miss their front bumper. Then it was right back to the song. It was actually absolutely hilarious to see him go from singing to road rage and right back into the song like nothing had happened.

When they pulled up to the building where Carol would be working for the next two months she checked her watch. 37 minutes. She was going to be extremely early, but luckily she spotted a Starbucks on the corner. "Don't forget the food delivery," she reminded him, gathering her purse and unbuckling the belt.

"Oh right… thanks. I guess I'll wait until after that to sit around in my underwear, eat cheesies and watch porn all day," he said with a grin. "Wait, did you order Cheesies? Or do I gotta stop and buy some somewhere?"

"Just promise me the marathon of Girls Gone Wild will be over before I get home," she sighed.

Daryl ignored her, "Carol, I'm serious… Cheesies?"

"Of course I didn't order Cheesies. Processed corn puff things with neon orange cheese flavoured powder… yuck," she wrinkled her nose.

"Don't worry, there won't be any left for you anyway," he replied, giving her a harmless glare.

"Uh, Daryl… if you're getting Cheesies can you grab me a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos?" Carol asked with a sheepish look. "I might need comfort food after this."

"You're gonna do great," he said softly, reaching out and putting a hand on her knee. He squeezed gently, in a gesture of comfort. "Good luck."

She gasped. "Nooooo you didn't just say that. Daryllllllllllll," she squealed.

"Oh shit. Fuck. I mean, break a leg," he corrected himself quickly.

"No, no, no… it's too late now," Carol said, sighing very dramatically. "It's gonna go horribly and it's gonna be all you and your 'good luck's' fault."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking genuinely upset. "Here, take this…" he reached in his pocket and pulled out a coin. "I take it to every audition. Brings me luck."

Carol took it, touched by the offer, but still annoyed with his slip up. "Not sure where in my gstring I'm supposed to put this…" she muttered.

Daryl started to laugh and as hard as she tried to stay mad she couldn't and soon she was laughing right along with him. "I really hate you. And by hate you I mean I love you. Like I love hate you. Or I hate love you… something like that," she teased him.

He leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Seriously, break a leg Carol, you got this."

She took a deep breath and reached for his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. With that she hopped out and waved goodbye, watching him rejoin the traffic before heading to the Starbucks. She flipped the coin over and over between her fingers and then slipped it in her pants pocket with a flutter of gratitude in her heart.

Just over an hour later Carol was in wardrobe, which sounded ridiculous given her wardrobe was next to nothing. She was wearing a black lacy push up bra, which was the least of her problems, and a nude colored thong with next to no material, under a short silk robe. The humiliation began when she had to bare her ass to the wardrobe lady so she could find the shade that best matched her skin. It was meant to appear on camera like she was wearing nothing, so between matching the material to her skin color and a bit of editing she would look nude in the nether region.

When they called her to set it was almost 2 hours later and her co-star Kyle was waiting. He was a sweet guy and seemed like a decent actor. They read together for her audition and clicked. But they didn't audition with an intense love scene. "You ready for this?" he asked with a smile.

"Not a chance," she admitted honestly.

"Good, me neither," he replied. It gave her some comfort to know he was nervous too. "I've only done one before and it wasn't even close to this…"

The director, Dave, came over and they chatted a bit about the scene before they got started. He wanted to do a couple run throughs to be sure they were hitting all their marks and what not, before they called in the camera crew to start filming the scene.

It was a completely different ballgame than what she'd experienced with Daryl, just as she expected it would be. The practice helped her with what she needed to do, but Kyle was so different from Daryl and the way the director was changing things was a bit overwhelming at times. The only good thing was, at least during the rehearsals, she forgot about the nudity because there was simply too much going on.

But after lunch, when they actually started to film… it was a different story yet again. Carol panicked. And completely froze. It was like everything she'd practiced with Daryl and all the rehearsing that morning flew right out the window.

"Cut," the director yelled. They hadn't even made it to the kiss and Carol completely botched it up. Her heart was pounding as he approached. "What's going on?" he whispered, looking completely confused.

"I don't know…" she said, looking at him with wild eyes. "I'm freaking out. I can't do this. I can't." She wanted to run, but instead she kept talking as a few others came over to join them. "I practiced this last night. We went over it several times and it was great. I was great," she said. When Carol stopped talking for a second she looked around and saw the smirks of amusement on their faces.

"Practiced it, huh?" Kyle teased.

"No, no," she insisted. "It wasn't like that. I have a friend here…" By that point her cheeks were burning as she tried to explain. "He's a good friend - a great actor - we worked together years ago. He's done scenes like this before. He was trying to help."

"You could have asked me to rehearse with you," one of the crew guys piped up, giving her a wink. They were having a blast at her expense and even though she was mortified it was still amusing. Carol had always been able to laugh at herself.

"You guys are all a bunch of assholes," she muttered.

Dave had a thoughtful expression. "So I'm assuming you rehearsed with Daryl Dixon, hmm?" It shouldn't have come as such a shock. Daryl was a huge star. People knew he lived in New York and people knew they were friends. She nodded slowly. "And he doesn't head back to Atlanta until May, right?" Carol nodded again, wondering where the hell he was going with this line of questioning. "And you were comfortable doing the scene with him? Everything went smoothly?" This time she didn't nod because she was pretty sure she didn't like where it was leading. "So what's the chances he'll come down here tomorrow?"

"Uhhh," Carol stammered. "For what?"

"I know this is really unorthodox," he started. "But I like to try strange things sometimes and they often work well." He looked over a Kyle. "Do you two trust me?"

"Of course," Kyle replied. Carol nodded a third time because she couldn't find her voice through the terror of what she knew he was about to suggest.

"I'd like to bring Daryl down and have him do a runthrough with her," he said to Kyle. "Have you watch and see what he does that makes her feel more at ease. I've met Dixon a few times. He's a great guy and a terrific actor."

Carol watched the conversation going on before her in stunned silence. "Yeah, I'm totally cool with that," Kyle replied enthusiastically. "I'm sure I can learn a lot from him."

"He's busy," Carol blurted out, needing the planning to stop. "He, uh… he has a thing tomorrow," she lied. A thing? What kind of stupid excuse was that?

"No worries, we can rearrange the shooting schedule a bit and find a couple hours on a day that works best for him," he replied. "Let's wrap for today," he added, dismissing the crew.

Once most were gone Carol spoke up. "I don't know if this is a good idea. I mean, it's not fair to Kyle…"

"Oh no, I'm totally fine with it," Kyle jumped in. "It would be an honor to learn from Daryl Dixon." An honor? Seriously? She thought. She sometimes forgot how popular Daryl had become lately because to her, he was just Daryl - her friend.

"See, no problem," Dave said. "Just talk to him and let me know if there's a day this week that works best."

With that he was gone. Everyone was gone and Carol was standing alone on set wondering what the fuck just happened. "Oh this is gonna suck," she whispered, walking slowly back to her dressing room.

When she arrived back at the apartment she could smell something delicious. She curiously wandered into the kitchen and found Daryl at the stove. "What's going on?" she asked with a smile.

"Hey, wait until you try this," he said excitedly. "I was watching this cooking show and he was making this pasta and I was like, oh my God, I have all the ingredients to make that. So I tivo'd it and watched it a couple more times and then I brought my ass into the kitchen and BAM… I'm a fucking master chef."

She walked over to the stove and took the spoon from his hand. Carol dipped it in the sauce, waited for it to cool and took a taste. "Oh," she said in surprise. "This really is good."

She looked around and noticed he had the table set, wine on ice, and candles ready to light. "Pretty romantic," Carol teased.

"I got my moments," Daryl replied back, giving her a smirk

They sat down to an amazing dinner. Carol couldn't believe all the trouble he'd gone to, for her. It actually made her feel a bit teary eyed to know what an amazing friend she had. "So tell me about work. How did it go?" She looked at him and frowned. "Oh… was it bad?" She nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Oh no, it gets even worse…" she said sucking in a breath. "They want me to ask you to come to the set and do the scene with me."

"Come again?" he looked confused.

"Well… I might have mentioned that we practiced last night… and that it went really well…" She gave him an apologetic look. "Then Dave, my director, came up with this idea… that we could have you come down and you can keep me from freaking the fuck out and show Kyle how we did the scene here." By the time she was finished Daryl had a huge smile on his face. "Oh God, this is totally feeding your oversized ego, isn't it?"

"Yup," Daryl agreed. "And I'll totally do it, but…" Carol didn't like the sound of the 'but.' "It's definitely gonna cost you."


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: So clearly I'm a sucker for people asking for a new chapter. You can thank the two guests who were asking for more :) Thanks so much for reading and I'm glad a few of you are enjoying this one._

 **Chapter 8**

"Oh fine, what do you want?" Carol sighed. She took a drink of her wine then set it down to wait for the terms.

"Well, give the enormity of the favour," he started. "I think I'll require at least three small favours in return."

"Three," she repeated. "You're serious?"

Daryl nodded. "At least," he repeated.

"Well that implies that you don't even know what the tasks are yet," Carol said with a frown. "What's to keep me from ending up your personal slave in this agreement?"

His eyes lit up at her comment, "I like the sound of that." She glared and he continued. "We'll put a range and a deadline on it," he added. "At least 3, but no more than 5. And I only have until midnight tomorrow to collect. Fair?"

"You have no idea the anxiety I have right now… but deal," Carol replied.

"Good. My first request is that you do the dishes," Daryl said, pushing his plate away.

"But you have a dishwasher…" She gave him a curious look. "Are you sure you want to waste a… wish… on that?"

"Oh fuck, I have no idea how to run that thing," he said, looking quite serious. "I think Merle might have used it a couple times when he's been here, but I always do dishes in the sink."

"Hmm, okay. I'll do the dishes and you have at least 2, but no more than 4 left," She replied, standing to start gathering plates. "By the way," she whispered, leaning close to his ear. "I would have done the dishes anyway."

She heard him mutter "well fuck" as she waltzed towards the dishwasher to start loading it up. The kitchen was a complete disaster, but the dinner he'd made really was delicious and unexpected so she wasn't the least bit annoyed by the mess. Carol hummed a song while she cleaned - it was a habit she'd never been able to control.

When she finished she found Daryl in the living room, watching TV. "All done Master, may I rest now?" He smirked and scooted over on the couch, patting the spot beside him. It was an invitation she could have refused or ignored and sat in the recliner like she'd originally planned, but instead she plopped down beside him, tucked up her legs and leaned on him. Daryl slipped an arm around her, like it was a perfectly natural way to sit.

They quietly watched a couple of shows together. She enjoyed the way his body jiggled her when he laughed and she couldn't help but love the way he smelled. Daryl always smelled good. Somehow, even after we went out for a smoke, the scent didn't linger on him, it was always overpowered by his delicious cologne. When they first met he used to call it perfume and said it was only for girls… oh how things change.

Carol realized if anyone were to look in on them they would certainly look like a couple, snuggled together for the sake of being close when there were several other places to sit in the room. Even though they were only friends it didn't feel strange at all with Daryl. He had taken a while to get comfortable with being physical but now that he was - it was just natural - at least for them.

As the second show ended Carol started to yawn. "I think I'm going to call it a night," she announced, standing up.

"Not quite yet," Daryl replied. "There's something else I need first." Carol narrowed her eyes and waited. He started to stretch and wiggle and rub his shoulders a bit. "My muscles are feeling a bit sore… think I'm gonna need a massage before bed." She stared at him blankly, wondering if he was serious. "Gotta make sure I'm all limbered up for my big scene tomorrow."

Yep, he was serious. "Oh fine, let's get this over with." Daryl grinned at her and pulled off his shirt. "What are you doing?" she interrupted as he started to reach for his pants.

"What? No happy ending?" he replied, blinking innocently at her.

"Oh my God, you're disgusting," she laughed, knowing for certain he was joking about that part at least.

"Yeah, I really am," he admitted. "But listen, like, if you're feeling it… once you get started… it's always there for ya," he said, gesturing to his dick.

"Don't worry, I'm well aware of where all your parts are," Carol replied. "The parts I will be touching and the parts… I won't." She tried to think back and pinpoint when he'd changed from that shy guy who would blush at any sexual inuendo to this confident man who was the one throwing the inuendo into the conversation. There wasn't a specific event that had made him change, but years of living this new lifestyle and years of getting comfortable with each other.

Daryl gave her a little smile and turned around on the couch. "I'm ready," he said over his shoulder. "No point in lying on my back I suppose," he added under his breath.

Carol sat back down behind him on the couch and placed her hands on his shoulders. His skin was warm and she felt a shiver run through her body. She started to gently work his muscles, kneading with her fingers and thumbs. Daryl groaned and she felt most of the tension leave his muscles as he relaxed. She worked her way down his back, between his shoulder blades, rubbing with her thumbs, then back up, all the way to his neck. She felt his silky hair on her fingertips and was shocked by the desire to run her fingers through his hair and massage his scalp. Carol started low at the base and soon found herself with her hands buried in his dark wisps, fingertips rubbing his head. "Fuck that feels good," Daryl moaned. She felt a stirring inside that she didn't like. Well, it wasn't that she didn't like it, it was more that it was once again a very inappropriate feeling given that she was feeling it because of Daryl.

Carol forced herself to pull her hands out and move to one of his arms, immediately wondering why on earth she thought that feeling his rippling biceps would make things better. Just get through it and go to bed, she thought, taking a silent breath to calm her hormones. "There, all finished," she announced.

"Not quite," Daryl replied, turning to face her. "You didn't do the front yet." She let her eyes wander over his chest. "Careful though, my nipples are really sensitive."

He thought he was getting to her. And in all honestly, maybe he was. But she certainly wasn't going to let him know that. She reached out calmly and run her hands over his chest, rubbing his muscles. "Good?" She asked after a few minutes.

"Yes, thank you," he replied, being somewhat serious for the first time in a while. Which was perfect timing for what she was about to do.

Her hands were still on his chest and Carol pushed against him to stand up. "Okay, well I'll just be going to bed now then..." As she pulled her hands away she caught both of his nipples and pinched. It wasn't hard but Daryl hit the roof and she fell into the nearby recliner in a fit of giggles.

"Jesus… oh man… you are going to pay for that Peletier," he warned, between pants. Daryl had both hands covering his nipples for comfort and protection.

"Oh come on, don't act like you wouldn't have done it," Carol teased, when she caught her breath.

"I'm pretty sure you would kick my ass if I pinched your nipples," he said dryly, still covering himself and eyeing her like she might attack again.

"Okay, maybe that was a bad example," she snorted. It was a bit different for a guy to touch a girls boobs. She gathered herself and stood. "I really am gonna go to bed now," she said. "I'm sorry about the nipples. It won't happen again, I promise."

Daryl started to smile, "There is a time I don't mind my nipples pinched."

"It won't happen again, I promise," she repeated with a little smile. "Night Daryl."

"Oh wait, one more thing," he called out, following her down the hall. "Set your alarm 45 minutes earlier."

"What?" she hissed. "I'm already getting up at the fucking crack of dawn. Before the crack of dawn actually."

Daryl pat her on the top of the head. "So tomorrow you get up 45 minutes earlier."

"Are you going to tell me why?" Carol asked, stopping in front of her door.

"Payback starts with your 3rd task." He had an evil look on his face. "Tomorrow morning… we're going jogging."

"Jogging. No. You can't be serious," Carol gasped. "You know I hate jogging. And it's like 12 degrees out there. No. I can't. You can't… it's… dangerous."

Daryl chuckled. "Suck it up Princess. 5:30 sharp. We head out."

"Daryl, please," she tried. "I… uh… I have nothing to wear," she lied. She had stuff she could wear, but he didn't have to know that.

"I can go out now and buy you something…" he offered.

She scowled at him. "Nevermind," she grumbled. "I'll find something." She resisted the urge to slam the door in his smiling face and instead closed it slowly, glaring at him the entire time.

Jogging… fucking jogging, she thought, getting undressed and throwing her clothes angrily on the floor. Who enjoys that anyway? It's torture. What's the point of just running in a big circle, getting all sweaty, with no reward at the end? There are much better ways to exercise. She was still mad at Daryl when she fell asleep and even more angry when the alarm woke her the next morning.

She was cursing under her breath as she put on one pair of yoga pants and a second pair over top. She layered on the top too then headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash. At exactly 5:30 she walked to the front door in her sneakers.

Daryl was waiting and he promptly plopped a hat on her head. "You're gonna need that, it's cold out."

"Well aren't you captain obvious first thing in the morning," she muttered, fixing the hat and feeling stupid for not thinking of that herself. "How far are we going? Like around the block or something?" City blocks were huge, surely that was far enough.

Daryl snorted. "Well I normally do a 5 mile route…" Carol's eyes bugged out. "But we'll cut it in half and just do 2.5."

She felt her heart start to pound. "2.5 miles... like all at once? Without stopping?"

"If you really need a break I'll stop for you," Daryl offered.

And that was it. The challenge was on. Her competitive spirit was alive. "Let's do the full 5 miles," she replied, feeling determined. At about the 2 mile mark she wished she had of shut the fuck up. There was a pain under her rib that made her want to curl up in a ball and die, but it didn't even compare to the ache in her lungs from the cold air. Once they got going she realized she had too many layers on too and was sweating way more than she ever would have imagined.

"You okay?" Daryl asked. Carol was pretty sure he'd slowed his pace considerably for her benefit and that in itself pissed her off. He was a fucking smoker who drank and partied, yet he could out jog her easily. It wasn't right. It wasn't logical. It wasn't even fair.

"Fine," she muttered. Carol gritted her teeth and pushed on. She gave everything she had, but just shy of the 4 mile mark she was done. She stopped and doubled over in pain. Suddenly she knew she was going to vomit and ran for an alleyway. Daryl was right behind her as she puked beside a dumpster.

"Shit, Carol… you should have stopped earlier," he said, rubbing her back. "Was I going too fast?"

He didn't mean it the way it came out but she couldn't hold back the snarl. "Fuck you," she hissed.

That's when he finally caught on. "Oh my God, you were trying to keep up… my little competitive muffin," he drawled. "Come on, you need to walk or you're gonna cramp." He took her elbow and guided her back to the street. "I jog all the time. You aren't supposed to be able to keep up."

"Fuck you," she said again. Her legs hurt and walking was a challenge. Luckily, they weren't all that far from his apartment at that point in the route, less than half a block. When the walked in the front doors Daryl swore under his breath.

"Elevators are on the fritz again," he sighed. "Someone is supposed to have fixed them by now. But it looks like we're gonna have to take the stairs." She was beginning to realize why he was considering moving.

"I can't," Carol said. Her legs were shaking as it was. "There's no way I'll make it up 10 flights."

"Well, I missed out on more than half my usual jog, so…" he swept her off her feet, into his arms. "Guess I'll just get the rest of my workout this way."

It was barely 6am. Her legs we aching. And for once in her life Carol didn't even attempt to argue.


	9. Chapter 9

On way up the 10 flights of stairs Carol felt immense guilt, but it was eased every couple minutes by the part of her that had decided it was all his fault they were in the predicament in the first place. If he hadn't used one of his damn conditions and forced her to go jogging she wouldn't have had to be all competitive about it. Yes, this was clearly Daryl's fault. The satisfaction she felt listening to him pant was soon replaced by the guilt though and once again she made an offer to try walking. "Maybe I can make it from here," she said, looking at the sign indicating they were on the 7th floor.

"It's okay," he grunted. "Only 3 more flights to go." He had never carried her like that before that she could remember, though she did get moved from the couch to her bed once when she was passed out from too much wine and it was very likely he'd moved her. But she had to admit she felt comfortable in his arms. Daryl was strong and never once did she worry he might drop her.

When they finally reached the landing on the 10th floor Daryl set her on her feet. She could see he was trying to catch his breath and was glistening with sweat. "There, that was probably a better workout than your jog would have been anyway," Carol said. She was back in the mood where she was mad at him, particularly since she was back on her wobbly legs again, feeling slightly dizzy and nauseous. "God, how am I supposed to work now," she moaned, following him into the apartment.

"Gimme your phone," he said. Carol dug it out of the pocket on the inside pair of pants and handed it to him, wondering what he was going to do. She looked over his shoulder and watched him scrolling through her contacts, stopping on her boss. "You think he's up by now?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But what are you doing?"

"You told him I was coming first thing this morning, right?" Carol nodded again. "Well, now I'm not." He tapped the name and she listened. "Hey Dave, Daryl… Doing great…. Listen, I told Carol I could come first thing this morning, but I forgot about an appointment. It's at 8. So I should be there by 10 at the latest." Carol sucked in a breath, she could see where he was going with the idea, but it felt so unprofessional. "Yeah, it's no problem at all… Okay. I'll ride in with Carol… unless you still need her first thing… No? Okay, I'll tell her. Thanks, see you around 10." Daryl grinned and handed her the phone. "Go have a long hot bath, you have time."

"I should go to work… this doesn't feel right…" Carol started.

"Relax," Daryl insisted. "He said he had a scene he could work on with… Kyle is it? Go have a hot bath."

"But… you lied… about the appointment…" Carol stammered. She was tired, dizzy and feeling overly moral for some reason - likely because she had such a strong work ethic. Not that Daryl didn't. He worked hard. Harder than most. What he just did was for her and she really wanted to appreciate it if the guilt would just go away.

"No I didn't," he replied. "I have something at 8am… breakfast. With you." Carol finally gave him a thankful smile. "Go. Kitchen in one hour. It won't be gourmet, but it'll be edible."

"You're gonna cook for me again? Getting pretty domestic aren't you?" she teased.

"You know I'd do anything for you Peletier," he flirted back. "Besides, if it wasn't for my

superior athletic ability you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Pfft," she snorted. "I don't remember you displaying that superior athletic ability that time we played soccer on set… or the time we shot billiards… or the time we…"

"Okay, okay, point taken," he interrupted with a laugh. "I may not have typical athletic skills… but if sex was a sport... I'd win the olympics."

"Oh, I have no doubt," Carol muttered, shaking her head and leaving him grinning in the hallway. He was right about the bath. It didn't help the dizziness at first, but it certainly helped her aching legs and muscles. After soaking for a while she let out the water and had a shower.

By 845 they were finished breakfast and headed for work. Daryl knew the traffic would be a lot worse so they headed out, hoping to make it there by 10. It wasn't until they pulled into the parking lot that Carol finally realized what was about to happen and started to freak out. "Maybe we should just tell them you couldn't make it after all," she started. "This is a bad idea. Don't you think it's a bad idea? I think it's a terrible idea," she rambled.

"It's gonna be fine," Daryl said. "We do the whole thing in one, maybe two takes, because we are rock stars, and it's over." He parked and shut off the car. "Well, except for the part where I hang around for the rest of the day, catch up with my old buddy Dave, and watch you simulate sex with some guy, practically naked." Carol gave him a glare. "What? I might get jealous Cupcake."

"How many times do I have to tell you? You're my one and only, Sunshine," Carol flirted back. It was a good distraction. Even though he'd promised not to tease her about the scene, knowing how nervous she was, the teasing was actually quite welcome because in the grand scheme of things… it made her laugh - he made her laugh. And laughter helped. "Just promise me you'll keep your clothes on for the demonstration, okay?"

"What? And not allow them all to get the full Dixon effect?" he chuckled. "Don't worry," he added quickly. "You know how easily I get a boner. Probably best to keep the Big Man covered up."

Carol felt her cheeks heating up. More because of her memory of his last erection… well, the last one she knew about anyway, than his comment about the size of his dick. "Let's get this over with," she said, jumping out of the car.

Carol hung back and watched as Daryl was fawned over by pretty much every person on set. She observed with a smirk of amusement, knowing he was hating the attention, though she noticed that he'd got a lot better with it than he used to be. They were actually similar in their desire to fly under the radar - but it was pretty much impossible for Daryl these days while she could still blend in sometimes. Carol avoided attention like the plague though and often wondered why on earth she wanted to be an actor, when she hated being noticed. But she knew she was good at it and she loved it more than anything she'd ever done… so she would have to deal with the consequences.

"Carol," Dave called her over as people started to disperse and get ready for the scene. "Okay, we're ready. Dixon here tells me you were perfect when you two rehearsed before… no pressure," he grinned. Carol looked at Daryl and her heart started to pound. He wasn't the least bit nervous about it. She continued to look at him and something strange happened… she felt… calm. It was like all the others were gone and it was just the two of them. "Carol.. Carol..."

She heard her name and finally she answered, "Yeah… yeah, I'm ready."

When Daryl said they were rock stars, he wasn't kidding. It may not have been final-take perfect, but it was pretty damn incredible. Just before she got in character Carol looked at him once more. He stared back and gave her just a tiny nod of encouragement. It was enough.

The room burst into applause as they finished and Carol held Daryl on top of her for a moment, finally feeling a bit shy as Angela faded away and she became herself again. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Welcome," he replied, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before untangling from her and helping her out of the bed.

The rest of the day went incredibly well. When they shot the scene for real Carol was so much more comfortable, even with Daryl right there, helping Kyle with tips and pointers in between takes. It was almost disgusting how much the guy worshipped Daryl. He was hanging off his every word to the point Carol was practically rolling her eyes. But, the fact of the matter was… it was making the scene better, and at the end of the day that's all everyone wanted.

By supper time it was done. They did it and Carol was confident it was going to be amazing when she saw it on film. "That's a wrap," she heard David exclaim as they finished the scene once again. He came over with Daryl to talk to her and Kyle. "That was perfect guys, great job." He clapped Daryl on the shoulder, "And thank you for all your help."

"My pleasure," Daryl replied, giving Carol a little look. She looked away, but knew she was smiling.

"Go get changed, I'm taking the 3 of you out for dinner and drinks," David announced. 30 minutes later they were sitting in a booth at a trendy little bar down the street. Dinner was fantastic and the wine Dave ordered for her was incredible. She finished her second glass and excused herself to the restroom. They'd been there for a couple hours and Carol knew they should all be heading out very soon. But she wasn't going to make it back to the apartment without a trip to the ladies room first.

She did her business, washed her hands and headed back towards the table. "Oh my God, it's you," a voice said from behind her as she walked by. Carol stopped, turned and looked in shock at the face of the man who had helped her with her suitcase at the airport. The suit was gone. He was wearing jeans and a sweater that fit snug in all the right spots to get her thinking of what might be underneath. He had a leather jacket in his hand and an incredibly sexy smile on his face.

"Hey," she replied with a smile. "What a coincidence this is." How was it even possible that in a city the size of New York that they'd ended up in the same little bar. "How are you?" she continued.

"Well my back is still recovering," he teased. "But I'm good. Even better now, actually." He was shamelessly flirting with her and Carol wondered again if he knew who she was. "I was just about to leave, but… can I… can I buy you a drink?" he asked, almost shyly. It was a strange contrast to the confident flirting, but it was very cute.

"I can't," Carol said, giving him an apologetic look. "I've already got one over there," she pointed towards the table where Daryl, Kyle and Dave were sitting.

"Oh, okay," he said, nodding in understanding.

"No, they're just coworkers," Carol blurted out. It sounded so desperate and she wished she could take it back.

"You live here? In Manhattan?" he asked, smiling again.

"I'm in town for a while," she replied, smiling back.

"Well," he replied, pulling out his wallet and digging out a card "If you're ever free.. for a drink… or dinner… call me." He put on his jacket and zipped it up. Damn, he's gorgeous, Carol thought. "It was good to see you again. Have a good night." With a little wave he left.

Carol was looking at the business card on her way back to the table, planning on hiding it before she got there. His name was William and he worked for some type of consulting firm or something by the looks of the card. When she lifted her head Daryl was standing in front of her.

"What's that?" he asked, nodding to the card in her hand.

"Oh nothing," Carol said, tried to hide it. But it was too late, Daryl snatched it.

"Did you just get a number on your way back from the restroom?" he asked, eyeing the card and then smirking at her. "I had no idea you had such game, Peletier." He handed her back the card. "I'm just going to pay and we'll go, 'kay?"

"Sure," she replied. She went back to the table to say goodbye and collect her things.

Daryl didn't speak again until they were in the car, heading home. "You gonna call him?"

"What? Who?" Carol tried to play dumb, even though she'd been thinking about the handsome stranger for the entire drive thus far.

"What's his name again? William?" Daryl replied. "You know, the pretty boy with the great hair, big broad shoulders, leather jacket…" Carol was surprised. She hadn't realized that Daryl saw them talking.

"Oh I don't know," she sighed. "What's the point? I'm only here for a few weeks and he obviously lives here…"

"Might be a good fuck," Daryl replied, with a shrug. "I mean, he was hot, right? You thought he was hot didn't you?" Carol looked at him. She couldn't believe they were having this conversation. But it wasn't like they'd never had the same kind of talk, in the other direction.

"Uhhhh, yeah… he was pretty sexy," she replied, keeping her eyes trained on Daryl's profile as he drove. She was almost positive she saw something change in his face at her reply, but as quickly as it was there, it was gone and she decided she imagined it. "But random hookups aren't really my thing," she added. It wasn't that she'd never had a one night stand or even a short term relationship that was all about sex, but the whole situation was just not conducive to something like that happening. She was there to work and then she would go home. Carol hadn't intended on having a roommate, but she was thankful for Daryl's hospitality and didn't want to be intrusive in anyway.

"You're gonna go 2 months without getting laid?" he asked as they pulled into the parking garage.

"That's none of your business," Carol replied. It sounded so sad. She could go 2 months if she needed to, not that is was preferable… but she would survive.

Daryl parked the car and looked at her. "What color is your vibrator?" Carol smacked him. "I'm serious, I read this poll once… you can apparently tell a lot about a woman by what color vibrator she chooses." He was giving her his best sexy grin. "I don't remember all of them… but I'm pretty sure pink was your all-american girl, fairly average, not overly adventurous. Red were dominatrix type chicks. But purple… I remember purple… those were the freaks. The dirty, kinky little freaks."

"What makes you so sure I even own one?" Carol asked, getting out of the car.

"Pfft… if you're not concerned about not getting fucked for several weeks then you have to have a vibrator. And you must have packed it," he said confidently, joining her to walk to the elevator. "Hope you brought spare batteries." Carol smacked him again, but laughed.

"Seriously, what color is it?" he asked again.

She pushed the number 10, thankful the elevators were working again. "I will never tell," she replied with a smirk.

It wasn't super late but by the time they were inside the apartment they were both ready for bed. Daryl followed her down the hallway. Carol stopped at the door and turned to face him. "Seriously Daryl, thank you for today. You didn't have to do that, but it meant a lot to me and Dave and Kyle…" She stood up on her tiptoes, closed her eyes and leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek.

But when her lips connected it wasn't with the rough stubble of his cheek. Her lips were on his and Daryl was kissing her. And it wasn't a friendly kiss - at all. She could feel his tongue licking at her lips and she curiously opened her mouth. Sure enough he dipped his tongue inside and Carol instinctively met it with her own. She felt his arm circle her body and draw her flush against him as they kissed.

The had kissed a lot that day, in character, but this was different. It was them. It was real. And it wasn't supposed to be happening. Yet Carol didn't want it to end, and clearly neither did Daryl. There was a wild stirring inside her that was almost terrifying in its ferocity. She couldn't hold back the moan that escaped her and she couldn't stop herself from reaching her arms up around his neck. Her heart was pounding wildly and her body felt like it was catching on fire, from the inside, initiating somewhere very low in her belly.

Daryl was a good kisser. Daryl was a great kisser. No, Daryl was an amazing kisser… Daryl. Daryl. Daryl. Oh my God, she thought, her eyes flying open. Carol pushed back, tearing her lips away and instantly regretting the loss of contact, even though she knew it was the right thing to do. "What… what was that?" she said, breathless, looking up at him in shock, with her cheeks flushed.

"Shit, sorry…" Daryl said quickly, rubbing his face with his hands. When he moved them away he was smiling. "Guess we've just been pretend kissing so much lately, I kinda got carried away. Night."

With that he left her standing in the hallway, in front of her door, with his kiss still burning her lips. "What the fuck?" she whispered, still completely mystified. "What. The. Actual. Fuck."

Suddenly he popped his head back into the hallway. "I am going to use one more condition before we go to bed and I lose them." Carol felt her heart start to hammer, wondering what it could be. "Go get it. I wanna see for myself what color it is."

"Ugh," Carol groaned, feeling her cheeks burning already. She went into the room, found the bullet and stuck her hand out into the hall.

"Fuck, yes, I knew it," she heard him say with delight, before she shut the door and put the little purple toy back where she got it from.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day when Carol came home from work Daryl was digging around in the closet. He was dressed in jeans and a nice sweater as if he might be going out somewhere. "Heading out?" she asked. She hadn't meant to scare him, she assumed he heard her come in, but Daryl jumped up and whacked his head on the shelf.

"Fuck," he hissed. "You scared me. Ouch…" he added, rubbing his head. "Oh, there it is," he reached for a coat, continuing to rub his forehead and giving her a childish pout.

"C'mere," Carol said, standing on her toes and kissing the red mark on the edge of his hair line.

"Whoever thinks forehead kisses are motherly hasn't had one," Daryl replied. "I always get a perfect view right down the front of your shirt." Carol shook her head. "You have great tits, from what I've seen anyway. I'm a pretty good boobie judge."

"Thanks… I think…" She replied. "You leaving?" she asked again.

"Yeah… my date is meeting me here, should be arriving any minute," Daryl said. "Don't expect me home too early," he added with a grin.

"Oh I wouldn't dream of you being home early," Carol teased. "You have a reputation to uphold." The buzzer rang as Daryl's date arrived. He buzzed her in and met her at the door a couple minutes later. Carol couldn't help but linger curiously, wondering what kind of delightful young woman Daryl was taking out. Well, she was gorgeous, that was for sure. Tall, aided by stilettos, but she would have been tall even without. She had long, wavy, jet black hair and was wearing a fluffy looking fur coat that Carol really hoped was faux. When she spoke and gave Daryl a kiss on the cheek Carol realized she had an accent.

"Carol, this is Johanna," Daryl introduced them, noticing she was standing in the hallway. "She's a model, from Germany, visiting for a show this weekend."

She stepped towards Carol and politely extended a hand. Carol shook it and noticed the perfectly manicured nails. "My pleasure," she said, with a stunning smile. "Will Carol be joining us tonight?" she asked, turning to Daryl. "She's gorgeous."

"Oh, no," Daryl said quickly. "Just you and I."

"Oh," she said sadly, with a pout. "You keeping her all to yourself."

Daryl grinned and gave Carol a look. "No, we're just friends," he explained. It was then that Carol finally clued into what sexy long legs was talking about. She thought Daryl was going to take them both out.

"Just friends, yeah right," Johanna laughed. "Well maybe Carol would like to be my just friends too, hmm?" Her accent was cute and it made Carol smile, but as usual she had the worst timing. "You like that Carol? We can go out sometime?"

Carol was stunned into silence. It wasn't the first time she'd been hit on by a woman. When her hair was way shorter she used to get it all the time - everyone assumed she was a lesbian or a breast cancer survivor. But she certainly wasn't expecting Daryl's date to ask her out. "She likes dudes," Daryl interrupted, saving her. Carol shrugged and nodded apologetically.

"Hmm, what a shame. We could have had some fun times Miss Carol," Johanna said, with her dramatic model pout once again. "If you change your mind Daryl give you my number." She kissed Carol on both cheeks and offered Daryl her arm to leave.

"Did that just happen?" Carol wondered with a laugh as the door shut behind them. She couldn't help but text Daryl, knowing he would take a cab so he could drink. Have fun Pookie, she typed. I won't wait up.

She wasn't expecting an immediate response, but her phone buzzed before she had even set it down. If I get bored will u sext with me?

Carol smiled. Sorry, I have big plans tonight.

Do they involve your little purple friend? he replied.

Enjoy your model Pookie, Carol texted back.

Don't be shy. Send photos, he tried again.

Carol ignored him again, Night.

And finally he gave up, Nite.

She went to the kitchen and made herself a late dinner. She considered opening a bottle of wine, but wasn't in the mood to drink alone. It was kind of strange without Daryl around. Even when they weren't in the same room she at least knew he was in the house. Ah well, Carol realized she might as well get used to it since he had a couple cons coming up and she'd have the house to herself for the entire weekend - with no work to keep her occupied during the day. The thought was bittersweet. She figured by that time she would be ready for some true alone time, but she really was enjoying her roomie.

After dinner she cleaned up and went to her room to find one of the novels she'd brought with her, but had yet to crack open. She quickly slipped into her nightgown and climbed into bed with the book. Three chapters in and there was a steamy love scene. What the fuck, she thought. Carol had read enough romance novels, her guilty pleasure, to know the hot stuff doesn't usually happen until at least chapter 9. She had fully intended on reading 5 or 6 chapters and going to bed before she got into the smut. But no, the universe was conspiring against her. Not only was it a love scene, it was pretty damn graphic. Her heart was pounding as she flipped page after page and by the time the chapter ended she was ridiculously horny.

Well, no better time to get out the vibrator, I suppose, Carol thought. It was rather ironic and rather annoying that Daryl had pegged exactly what she'd be doing while he was out, but at that point she didn't give a fuck about anything other than dealing with the building desire between her legs. All she wanted was to slip into bed, turn on the bullet and get herself off. It wouldn't take long. She was way too far gone at that point.

Carol had just pulled out the vibrator and was headed to close the door when she heard something. She peeked into the hall, expecting to see Eye in the Dark, but instead there was Daryl. And he looked grumpy. Fuck, she thought, looking wide eyed at the toy in her hand. She flung it across the room onto the bed, glad she hadn't removed her panties yet. "What the hell are you doing home already?" she asked, as he approached her door.

"Oh thank God you're still awake," Daryl said, grabbing her hand. She silently thanked the lord that she'd ditched what was in her hand seconds before. "Come drink with me."

Carol let him tug her down the hall wishing she'd thought to grab a sweater or something to cover her rather revealing nightie. It was silky and she loved the way it felt on her skin, but it

didn't leave much to the imagination and it was short. Too short to be hanging out with Daryl. And there was still the fact that she had needs that she really wanted to take care of. It would have to wait, she thought, scowling while he was looking the other way. He led her to the kitchen and left her at the island while he found a bottle of crown and two shot glasses.

"Oh no way," Carol resisted, watching as he ignored her and poured two shots. "I have to work tomorrow."

"Not until after lunch," he replied. "Drink up Peletier."

She sighed and lifted the shot glass. "Cheers," she said, clinking glasses with him. She poured the whiskey down her throat and felt a burn inside her, much different from the burn that was already inside her. But either way, it was heat. And heat was not a good thing right then. Heat made her think things she shouldn't think - like how great Daryl looked in the sweater he was wearing. Heat made her remember things she shouldn't - like how much she'd enjoyed the kiss the night before. Heat made her want things she shouldn't - like his hands all over her body.

"So, what are you home so early?" Carol asked, needing a distraction, badly.

"I don't want to talk about it," Daryl grumbled. His tone made her smile. This was gonna be good.

"Spill it," she said, grabbing the bottle and pouring them a second shot.

Daryl took his and downed it before he spoke. "My date ditched me… for a chick."

Carol snorted and choked on the drink of whiskey she just put in her mouth. "Oh my God… owwwww," she whined, through the coughs and sputtering.

"Serves you right," Daryl muttered, but he brought her a wad of paper towels and came to see if she was alright. It was one thing to have water or milk come out your nose, but whiskey was a different matter entirely. Carol was sure her nasal passages were destroyed for life and there were tears stinging her eyes. "Shit, are you okay?" he added. "Did that once, but the rye was in mix and that was bad enough." She was dabbing her eyes and trying to compose herself. "Come sit," Daryl said, taking her elbow and leading her to the living room.

He sat beside her and watched with concern. It was actually pretty cute and made her feel better. Finally she spoke, "So tell me more."

Daryl scowled again. "Well, it was all going well until a group of her friends showed up with a couple ladies Johanna didn't know. It was me and 7 models. It was like the start of a really great porno." Carol shook her head. "Well it turns out the new girls and Johanna shared in their love of the female form so I was all excited, thinking I might get all three of them, ya know?" Carol cringed. Not that it surprised her in the least. He was Daryl Dixon, Mr. Sexy, and he could have any woman he wanted… or several at a time as the case may be…

"Does that happen often?" Carol blurted out. It must have been the whiskey talking because she really didn't want to know the answer to that.

"Well, I don't want to brag or anything…" Daryl said, with a cocky grin. "Let's just say it usually happens when I want it to." She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to continue. "So they totally started making out in the booth," he squirmed, clearly getting turned on at the thought of it. "And all of a sudden the show was over and Johanna was getting up to leave. Turns out her new friends were not as adventuresome. 100% lesbian. Which left me with 4 other models, wounded pride but a little bit of hope." His face looked sad. "Until their boyfriends showed up," he sighed. "So there I was, from 7 hot models to me and a half finished rye and coke."

"Oh God," Carol teased. "That was the most heartbreaking tragedy I have ever heard."

"It really was tragic," he replied. "But at least I get to come home to a sexy woman…" He spun and laid down, putting his head in her lap. Jesus, mother fucking christ, Carol thought. She certainly didn't need any pressure in that area. Daryl only made matters worse when he reached up and touched the shoulder strap of her nightgown. "This is really silky, I like it." Carol squirmed. "What's wrong? Am I too heavy?" He asked, sitting up.

"No it wasn't that..." Her voice trailed off. Fuck, if it were him he would just say exactly what was going on. So why couldn't she? The whiskey was a stupid idea. So stupid. Two... Well, one and a half shots and she had loose lips. "Before you came home I was just about to... You know..."

It took a second, but when he clued into what she was implying his eyes lit up. "Oh shit, sorry..." He gave her a sly grin. "Did you need some help? I mean, my other plans fell through."

Carol stood up. She knew she was making him crazy and she was actually kind of enjoying it at that point, which was great because it hid the embarrassment. "Masturbation by definition is a one person job, but thanks for the offer," she replied sweetly.

"Fuck, say it again," he groaned. "It's so sexy when you talk dirty."

"Masturbation," Carol repeated.

"Yeah," he groaned again, shifting in his seat. "One more time, I'm almost there," he joked.

"Masturbation," she said a third time. "Gotta go now," Carol added, starting to walk away. She turned back to see Daryl grabbing his crotch. "Jesus, at least go to your bedroom," she said with a giggle. Two shots should not have made her so damn bold.

He jumped to his feet and followed her towards their rooms. When she got to her door she felt his hand on her lower back, "Bet I'm done before you."

"We'll never know, but I'm willing to bet it's gonna be pretty fucking close," she replied. "Night," Carol said, closing the door. She peeled off all her clothes and dove into bed, reaching around until she found the vibrator. Just hearing the sound sent tingles through her.

She expertly maneuvered the toy, trying to take it slow but quickly realizing her body wanted none of that. The speed at which her orgasm hit was ridiculous. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, then wondered if she should had just let it out and drove Daryl even more crazy.

She had put the vibrator away and was about to attempt to sleep when a text came in. Carol picked up her phone and saw one word: Done.

She smiled and replied quickly, Better luck next time. I win.


	11. Chapter 11

When Carol woke the next morning and picked up her phone to check the time she saw a text from her boss. She quickly opened it and read the message: Filming canceled for this afternoon. Sending everyone home soon. Will let u know about tmrw. Stay safe.

What the hell is going on, she wondered. Before texting him back she checked the weather app on her phone, remembering hearing something about some snow on the way. There was a red alert banner at the top and she clicked on it. Apparently there was a winter snowfall warning and they were in for blizzard like conditions and ridiculous amounts of accumulation. Carol quickly replied, Drive safe. Talk to you tomorrow.

Guess it's gonna be a relaxing day at home, she thought, picking out a comfy hoodie and black tights. By the time she finished in the bathroom and headed for the kitchen it was late morning, but Daryl was nowhere to be found. Must be still sleeping, Carol thought. She started a pot of coffee and went to the living room to see what was happening outside while it brewed.

"Holy shit," she muttered, looking out the huge window overlooking the city.

"You're telling me," Daryl replied, coming into the room off the deck, shaking snow out of his hair. Carol saw the pack of cigarettes in his hand and realized he'd gone out for a smoke.

But that wasn't all she noticed. Suddenly the snow wasn't the most interesting thing to look at. "What the hell is that?" she asked, laughing at his clothes. He was wearing onesie that she was pretty sure was a dalmatian.

He pulled up the hood and she laughed harder at the floppy dog ears. "It's cold out there." He reached for the zipper. "I can take it off for ya," he said, starting to pull it down.

Carol took a step forward, caught his hand and pulled the zipper back up, letting her fingers graze his bare skin. She patted his chest. "Nope, keep it on, I like it."

"Any chance you made coffee, Woman?" Daryl asked, looking down at her.

"Did you just call me Woman?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes, but knowing he was teasing her. "How about you make me some eggs, Man."

"Ohh, you sure? How about toast? I can make toast. I make a mean piece of toast. Or a bagel? English muffin? Eggo waffle? Anything that you put in the toaster I can do," Daryl offered.

"Oh fine, a bagel with that strawberry cream cheese," she replied, wondering if maybe a healthier option would be better. She rationalized that the jog the day before would counteract the bagel as she headed to the coffee pot to pour their mugs.

Carol was sitting at the table, thinking about how they seemingly avoided any awkward that could have come out of the situation the night before when Daryl placed her bagel in front of her, sat down and said, "So how did you sleep?"

Carol picked up her bagel, took a bite and studied the amused look on his face. She chewed and swallowed, then took a drink of her coffee, all while continuing the staredown. "Well, I have this amazing new mattress and had a couple shots of rye… slept like a baby," she replied.

"So you think it was just the bed and the rye that helped?" Daryl asked, still looking amused. "After your text I went for round two and pretty much passed out." Carol choked on the bite she just took.

"T-M-I Daryl," she got out.

"What? Why? Masturbation is perfectly natural Carol, everyone does it," he said in a jokingly lecturing tone.

"Some more than others," Carol muttered. "Soooo how about the weather?" she added, in a not-so-subtle attempt to change the topic.

"It's bad," he said, his tone actually becoming serious. "I had the news on earlier and all the airports in the northeast are shut down already. Supposed to snow into tomorrow morning." She felt her stomach churn. It had been a long time since she'd been in a true snowstorm. They had the occasional ice storm in Georgia, but nothing like what was going on outside.

"Who would have thought we'd end up snowed in together, huh?" Carol joked.

"It's like the start of a romance novel," he chuckled. Well at least he didn't say porno, she thought.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure we're far from your typical mommie-porn characters," Carol replied.

"Don't sell us short," he teased. "We would make great fictional characters. Exceptional even." He took a drink of coffee. "Good friends, past co-workers with insane chemistry get stranded together in a snowstorm. She's gorgeous, classy, a little quirky with a kinky side she hides well. He's was a nobody from the wrong side of the tracks, a diamond in the rough who has been polished by the celebrity lifestyle into a handsome, slightly egotistical pervert. Who's gonna write this story?"

"Oh I'm sure someone will," Carol laughed. "But how does the story end?"

Daryl shrugged, with that sexy grin on his face, "That remains to be seen."

"Well, in chapter 2 we clean up the breakfast dishes, refill our coffee mugs and find something good on TV," she said, standing up. "Unless you have other plans?"

"My other plans fell through," he replied, standing to help her with the dishes.

They went into the living room and decided on a Criminal Minds marathon. "Those two need to just do it already," Daryl said, the first time a flirty Morgan and Garcia scene came on.

"Hmm," Carol replied.

"What was that? What does hmm mean?" Daryl asked.

"Just didn't peg you for the shipper type," she teased.

"Shipper, what's a shipper?" he asked.

"You're joking right? You have to know what a shipper is," Carol was sure he was kidding. Daryl shook his head. "You know how people are always wanting your character to get together with other characters on the show? That's called shipping," she explained. "And you… are a Morcia shipper. Morgan, Garcia, equals Morcia."

"Wow, who knew…" Daryl looked amused. "Morcia… huh. What's our name?"

Carol narrowed her eyes, "We don't have a name, we're not a couple."

"Yeah, but say we were… what would it be?" he asked. "Caryl… Darol… they sound the same as saying your name or saying mine… huh."

"What's the huh for?" she couldn't help but ask.

"It's just kinda cool, that's all." Carol rolled her eyes and tried not to think about the fact that she agreed, it was pretty cool.

After 5 episodes they decided to take a break. Daryl wanted a smoke and she went to the window to watch the storm rage while he went out onto the balcony. It was bad and she started to feel anxious. She literally couldn't see anything but white swirls. "Holy fuck," Daryl hissed shaking off the snow at the door before he stepped back inside. She felt the rush of cold air and shivered. Thankfully the apartment was nice and cozy.

He shut the door and reached for the remote. He flipped on some music. It was a slow song that she didn't know. "Ohhhh I love this one, dance with me," he said, grabbing her before she had a chance to say yes or no.

"Ahh," Carol squealed. "You're cold… and wet," she hissed.

Daryl pulled her closer. "The offer still stands to take it off."

"Ugh," she groaned. "No, no, keep it on, by all means." He started to move to the music. "I'll just get all wet and cold with you."

"That's the spirit," he whispered softly in her ear. Carol decided the shiver she felt run through her body was because he was cold and wet, but she still found herself snuggling closer.

As the last notes of the song faded she looked up. She found herself staring at his lips, unable to look away, unable to tear her gaze away… even as they started to move closer. It wasn't until they were too close that she finally looked away, meeting his eyes instead, just for a second before his lips touched hers.

It was good. It was so good she moaned and arched her back. She couldn't help it. It was Daryl and fuck… Daryl was a damn good kisser. That tongue of his was… incredible and God… it was addicting. She wanted it. She wanted all of it. And then she wanted more. But wait, it's Daryl…Before she had a chance to decide what to do something happened… the music shut off… the lights… shut off… and it was quiet.

"Oh shit," Daryl said, breaking the kiss. "Power's out."

"Oh… no… uh…" Carol stammered, taking a step back for air. "Are there backup generators here?"

"Hmm, don't know," Daryl admitted. "Power outages aren't much of an issue in the city."

"So, now what do we do?" she asked, looking around. There was light coming in the windows, so it wasn't pitch black by any means, but it was the quiet, so quiet there was an eerie buzz, that got to her.

"Well, I'm thinking we should get out of these clothes," Daryl said.

"What?" Carol replied, looking at him in shock. Did he think…

"Uh, wet clothes… it's gonna get cold if the power is off for a while. Probably not a good idea to sit around in damp clothes," he said, looking strangely at her.

"Oh yeah, you're right," she said, heading quickly for her room before he saw her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Carol found her phone and used the flashlight to find her clothes and change. As quick as she thought she was Daryl still beat her back out to the other room. She heard him rummaging around in the kitchen while she got comfortable on the couch.

Suddenly he appeared. "I made you dinner… again," Daryl announced, dropping a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos in her lap. He sat at the other end of the couch and set down two glasses and a bottle of wine on the coffee table. "Unless you want to switch… I got Cheesies."

"No way in hell," she replied, pulling open the bag and popping one in her mouth. "Mmm, so good."

"Not sure the wine is gonna go well with Doritos and Cheesies but… who the fuck cares," he laughed.

"Oh Sweetie, wine goes with anything," Carol teased.

For the next hour they talked and laughed, drank wine and ate their 'supper.' It was getting dark outside and the room got dimmer by the minute. "I think I have candles somewhere," Daryl said, disappearing and returning with several and a lighter. He set them out around the room and lit them all. "Shit, what chapter is this now? Like 5? And the room is romantically lit with candles… dun, dun dun…Or is it bow chicka bow wow…"

"Stop…" Carol sighed, somewhat serious. She looked at his handsome face, glowing from the flicker of the candles and with a little courage from the wine she spoke, "Why'd you kiss me again earlier?"

"I dunno," he said, cocking his head to the side and grinning at her. "I like kissing you. It feels good."

She shook her head, "But we're not supposed to kiss like that… we're friends."

"Did you like it?" he asked, looking intently at her, waiting for a reply.

"Yes," Carol admitted honestly. "But that's not the point."

"You liked it. I liked it. So what does it matter?" he questioned her.

"I don't know," she sighed again. He was making her feel like she was being silly for worrying about a little kiss, so Carol dropped it. But she did have another burning question. "Why'd you come home last night? I mean, you could have found another girl. Called someone from your list of possibilities. Why didn't you?"

"Oh you have to go and remind me of getting dumped, huh?" Daryl laughed. "Well first of all I was mad. You know I have a big ego…" his voice trailed off for a moment. "Other than that… I wanted to tell someone. I wanted to vent and talk about it. I'm not used to having someone to come home to and I knew you were here and I could talk to you… I wanted to talk to you," he finished, sounding very genuine. Carol shivered and he noticed. "It's getting really cold, huh?"

"And late," she added, trying to stifle a yawn. "Maybe we should just call it a night and get warm under the covers."

"Good idea," Daryl said, getting up and blowing out all the candles but one. He used it for light and led the way down the hall to her room. He pushed open the door and walked in, holding the candle while she found her way to bed.

She climbed in. "Thanks," she said, letting him know he could go.

"Scoot," he replied.

"Huh?" Carol felt her heart start to beat a little faster.

"It's gonna be a long, cold night unless the power comes back on," he said. "Might as well snuggle and try to keep each other warm instead of both of us freezing in separate beds." Was he serious? Carol wondered. She watched him set the candle down and start to get in. Clearly he was quite serious. "You want to be the big spoon or little spoon?"

"Uhhh… little I guess," she replied, without really thinking it through. Daryl blew out the candle and the next thing she knew he was cuddled up against her, forcing her to turn towards the wall. He slung an arm over her and wiggled around a bit until he was comfortable.

"I am not responsible for where my hands end up when I'm sleeping," he announced. "Or anything else that might happen to my body with a sexy woman in my arms." She tried to ignore the feel of him against her ass and the thought of how it might feel if he was hard. This was certainly a development she had not been expecting. "Chapter 8…" Daryl said with a yawn. "Chapter 8 they're in bed, spooning."

Chapter fucking 8, Carol thought. He had to go there, didn't he? She closed her eyes and made a valiant attempt to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

The power came back on sometime in the early morning. Carol was a fairly light sleeper when it came to sounds and the subtle change woke her. It was nothing more than a familiar hum you normally don't recognize until it's not there, and a few beeps off in other rooms - electronic devices firing back up again.

She knew it was morning because she felt like she had slept for a while, but it was still too early to get up she decided, with a yawn. Besides, her nose was frozen, but the rest of her was nice and warm under the covers. Not to mention the fact that she was firmly wrapped up with Daryl and there was no way she was moving without waking him.

Carol tried to ignore the fact that his leg had somehow worked its way in between hers, which left her ass pressed up against his junk and the part of her body that was suddenly aching resting against his thigh. To make matters worse, in her sleepy fog she initially didn't notice that his hand was firmly cupping her right breast. Daryl snored softly, just one little snort to remind her just how comfortable he was.

Somehow she managed to ignore the positioning and she fell back asleep for a while. When she woke again not much had changed, but the small changes made a huge difference to her libido. Daryl's hand was gone from her breast, but its new location was even worse. He had worked it up under her shirt and then tucked his fingers inside the waistband of her pants, not far, but far enough. And to complicate matters even more Carol was pretty damn sure his dick was thoroughly enjoying itself.

She wondered if he'd done any of it on purpose, but he really did seem to be sleeping soundly. Typical man, she thought, they could have a damn earthquake and he wouldn't notice. How was it fair that she was awake, struggling to deal with her raging hormones and he was just lying there all innocent, with no clue what was happening?

That's it, Carol decided. Two can play this game… She shifted slightly and pretended to stretch, wriggling her ass against his dick. She knew he woke up instantly. Fuck, I could bang cymbals and he'd still be snoring, but one light brush of the genitals and he's wide awake. But what he didn't know was that she was awake too and she planned to keep it that way. She sighed and stretched and wiggled some more, pretending to get comfortable. Carol felt his hand move away, but he kept his groin against her ass.

The next time she moved her butt he pushed back, resting his hand gently on the top of her thigh. Carol swallowed - her mouth was dry. What was he doing? And why did she want so badly to turn over, let him know she was awake too and see where it went from there? No, that's just your vagina talking, she told herself. If vaginas could talk hers would be screaming, begging even, for things that should NOT be happening with Daryl.

Carol took a deep breath and decided her idea had been stupid. She should have just untangled herself and got out of bed. Well, time for plan B she decided. She rolled quickly, lifting her arm and delivered an elbow to his face.

"Ow, fuck," he hissed.

"Huh? What happened?" Carol said, sitting up and pretending she was just coming out of a deep sleep.

"You just elbowed me in the head," he groaned.

"Oh God, I'm sorry," she replied. She hadn't hit him that hard. He was being a big baby. But she had to fake deep concern for the "accident." "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Daryl muttered. "Helluva a wake up call though."

Carol narrowed her eyes. Was he really going to pretend he'd still been sleeping. She couldn't let him get away with that. "Oh for fuck sakes, you were awake and I didn't hit you that hard you big sissy," she blurted out.

Daryl narrowed his eyes right back at her. "How did you know I was awake?"

She sighed, "I've been awake for a while. How was I supposed to sleep with something poking me in the ass?"

Something clicked and his face changed. "So you were doing all that wiggling around on purpose? You naughty little minx."

"Minx, pfft," she scoffed. Carol had no idea how she was going to talk her way out of this one.

"But why?" he asked, looking at her with piqued curiosity. "Were you playing games, torturing me? Or… you wanna go?"

"Wanna go…" she repeated. Was he really asking if she wanted to fuck? And why was she taking time to consider her response? "Of course not," she insisted. "I was messing with you."

"So then what exactly were you hoping to accomplish?" he pressed.

Fuck if I know, Carol thought as she pretty much jumped over him and made a beeline for the door before stopping in the frame and turning around. "I was just making sure you were still alive," she said, crossing her arms and looking at him. He was lying on his back and she couldn't help but notice that absolutely nothing had calmed down in the crotch area. "You barely moved all night… didn't even notice the power came back on a few hours ago."

"Oh hey, it did, yay," Daryl grinned. "Thank god, because I'm starving." And just like that… it was over. He was now focussed on food and she was off the hook. There were times his ADD came in very handy.

Carol ended up with a second day off work. The snow tapered off during the night, quicker than expected, but the city was a disaster with massive clean-up efforts taking place. By that evening, according to the news, things were almost back to normal. She was impressed by the efforts of the city workers to get the roads cleared so quickly, especially when there was really no where to pile the snow. She found out later that they trucked a lot of it out of the city, but still, it was quite a feat to get things up and running again as quickly as they had.

Before they headed to bed Daryl checked his flight one more time. He had a con in Dallas and was leaving early the next morning. "Well, no delay or cancellation so far," he shrugged. "Guess I better pack after all."

"You haven't even packed yet?" she said, shaking her head. Such a typical guy thing.

"It will take all of about 10 minutes," he shrugged. Oh to have it so easy, she thought with a little smile. "So, we can share a cab in the morning okay? I'll be ready when you need to leave and I'll drop you and then head out to the airport."

Carol nodded and headed to bed. The next morning, as planned, they took a cab stopping at the set first. "Have fun," she said, leaning over and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. A quick

friendly kiss like they would do any time they parted.

"See you Sunday night," he replied. Before the conversation could go any further she jumped out, shut the door and waved as the cab took off. It already felt strange knowing she'd be going back to his place that evening and spending the entire weekend there - alone. But she forced herself not to think about it and just focus on her work.

The morning flew by and during a break in the afternoon Carol checked her phone. There was a text from Daryl from 30 minutes earlier: really gettin to know JFK intn'l. Flight delayed until 4.

Carol texted him back quickly: Oh that's crappy. Were u supposed to do autos today?

Daryl's reply was immediate: Nope. Not til 2mrw. Was just gonna hit the town for the afternoon.

She heard her name and realized they wanted her back on set. Shit, got 2 go, she texted him. Let me know when you're settled in TX. Bye! She tossed her phone back in her purse and went back to work. She didn't look at her cell again until she was back home in the apartment. There was a reply from earlier: KK, but that was all.

Carol felt strange. She'd been in the apartment alone before, but knowing that Daryl was in another state and wouldn't be coming back anytime soon made her feel lonely. She turned on the TV for background noise, made food and watched CNN while she ate.

Just before 10 her phone rang. "Hey you," she said. It was Daryl's cell.

"Hey. I'm safe. In my big, lonely hotel room," he replied.

"It's still early for you," Carol teased. "I'm sure you won't be lonely long."

"Oh God no," he sighed. "I'm fucking exhausted. I killed most of those 9 hours at the airport talking to fans and taking pictures. And I was bombarded at DFW when we landed. I'm in for the night." He paused and then added, "I'm already naked in bed."

"And you're really alone?" Carol teased.

"Yep, just me and you baby," he replied. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Just watching a bunch of crap on CNN that's making me switch from sad to happy tears every other story," she admitted. It really was quite ridiculous how emotional she was. She'd always been quick to tear up, but it seemed worse.

"Wanna do something with me?" Daryl asked. She detected a flirtiness to his voice that made her a bit nervous.

"Isn't that gonna be rather difficult with you like 1500 miles away?" she replied, still curious as to what he wanted to do.

"Nope. Because we're gonna have phone sex," he announced.

"What?" she spat into the phone, in shock.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun," Daryl said.

"Ummm no. I am not having sex with you of any variety, not even the telephone kind," she insisted.

"You're scared," he replied, in a challenging tone. "Don't tell me you've never done it before…"

"Okay, I won't tell you," Carol said quickly.

"What? No way. Seriously?" he asked, sounding just as shocked at she had earlier. "Okay, come on… you gotta try it. Please?"

Somehow she found herself agreeing and wondered if she truly had gone completely insane. Nope, it wasn't insanity, it was the challenge. Daryl knew how to play her. "Oh fine," she muttered. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Talk dirty to me," he said. His voice had changed and it sounded all low and husky.

"What? Like… oh baby, baby, I want to take a ride on your big hard meat stick?" Carol finished with a giggle.

"Meat stick?" he scoffed.

"Okay, I wanna ride your hot rod you sexy beast…" she said, giggling again.

"Meat stick and hot rod are pretty much the same thing," Daryl said, not nearly as amused as she was.

"Of course they are," she replied. "They both mean cock, don't they?"

"Cock, that's good. Use that," he urged.

Carol put on her best sexy porn voice and tried again, "Mmm, oh God, your cock is so hard… I just want you to shove it in my…. puss…" She didn't even get all the words out before she fell back on the couch laughing.

"You suck at this," Daryl announced. "Maybe I should go first."

"Oh by all means," she replied through the giggles. There was silence. "Daryl? Are you there?"

"Yeah… I… um… I can't think of anything to… say," he got out and the next thing she knew they were both laughing.

"How do people do this with a straight face?" Carol asked, as the laughter died down.

"Well, I find it helps if I'm already spanking my dick," he answered truthfully.

"Don't even think about it." she warned.

"What makes you think I haven't been stroking it this entire time?" he asked. Carol felt her body flush with warmth. "Maybe I've had my cock in my hand the whole time. Maybe it was there before I even called you…" She was quickly realizing how people had phone sex with a straight face as she grappled with the overwhelming urge to slip her hand down her pants. The image of him lying naked in bed, running a hand up and down his shaft was burned into her brain. Her heart was pounding and she knew if she gave in and touched herself that her fingers would come back wet.

"Oh well in that case, I better let you go," Carol replied, using everything she had to play it cool. "Enjoy the con. And try to behave."

He laughed. "Night Carol."

"Night," she said hanging up quickly. She threw the phone to the other end of the couch as if the device was to blame for the crazy battle of emotions going on inside her.

"What the hell…" she whispered. "Get it together…" It was barely 5 seconds since they hung up and she already missed him. She missed him so badly it overpowered all the confusing sexual urges. It was both a blessing and a curse. Any distraction from the throb between her legs was welcome… but what did it mean? What did it mean that she missed him so badly she forgot about things that weren't typically easy to ignore?

It meant that she needed to quit heading down the wrong path. It meant that she needed to do something about it before it was too late. It meant that she needed to damn well get laid. Carol decided that everything that she was feeling was nothing more than a byproduct of sexual frustration. It had been a while. And it was time.

She pulled out her wallet and dug out the business card she'd put in there. She wasn't usually one for a fling and she rarely slept with a man on the first date. But she was willing to sacrifice her usual practices in the name of her sanity. Any more of these unholy thoughts about Daryl and she was going to end up in the looney bin. "Sex will fix this," she announced as she dialed. He picked up on the second ring. "Hey, sorry I'm calling so late… it's Carol..."


	13. Chapter 13

"Carol, hi," William replied, sounding cheerful. "It's not that late. It's good to hear from you." He was so smooth and charming. Daryl was charming too, but it was a different kind of charm.

Carol decided to just go for it before she got wrapped up in small talk and lost her nerve. "I was wondering if you were still interested in… dinner?"

"Yeah, of course," he said quickly. She could tell from the sound of his voice that he was smiling and she smiled too. "The storm got me really backed up at work…" he started and Carol felt her stomach sink. "So I have to get caught up all day tomorrow… but what about Monday night? Does that work for you?"

"Yes, definitely," she replied. Truth was, she really wanted it to be the next night, but what was one more day? "I'll let you pick the place, since I'm not really familiar with the local restaurants… but if you ever visit Atlanta, I've got you covered." What the hell was that? They hadn't even been out yet and she was talking about him visiting Atlanta? Carol was pretty sure she was gonna scare the man away before they ever went out.

He chuckled and Carol felt her cheeks get red. Thank God he couldn't see her. "Well if I get to pick the pace, it's definitely Riverpark. Amazing food. And a gorgeous view of the East River. You'll love it, I promise."

"Sounds lovely," she replied genuinely. She loved restaurants with great scenery.

"I'll make reservations for 7. Where do I pick you up?" he asked.

Carol hadn't considered that part. She really didn't want any awkwardness with Daryl… "I can just meet you there," she said. "Just incase work runs late and I don't have time to get back to my apartment first," she lied. It wasn't a complete lie though, sometime they did shoot longer than planned. But she had a shorter day Monday, so it wouldn't be an issue.

"That works. So I guess I'll see you at 7 on Monday. Riverpark," William said. "Do you need directions?"

"I'm good," Carol replied. "See you then."

There was a long awkward pause and finally he spoke. "I'm really glad you called. Night Carol."

"Night," she answered before hanging up. She wasn't sure if she should call him William or Bill. Or Willy, Carol thought with a little laugh. She was feeling a bit conflicted about her decision because it felt like she was using him. If she was honest with herself, she was definitely using him. But she wasn't opposed to whatever might happen after she got what she wanted. And if not… people had one night stands all the time. Maybe he wouldn't like her anyway. Maybe they wouldn't hit it off at all. Maybe they would just have sex to see if it made things better. And after that… who knows.

Or maybe, Carol thought, walking towards her bedroom… Maybe he's amazing. Sweet. Kind. And great in bed. She would find out… Monday night.

She woke up Sunday morning thinking about Daryl again. She was way too excited that he'd be home later that night and it annoyed her deeply. If only William was free that night instead of the next… if only. Carol realized she was putting a lot of faith in this date/sex thing distracting her from unholy thoughts and urges about Daryl. What if it didn't work?

After mulling over things most of the morning Carol decided the only thing she could do was try. She also decided she would kill the rest of the day with a little retail therapy and headed out to shop. Hours later, by the time she piled all her bags into the cab to head home it was already dark out. My god, she thought, looking at the pile of bags beside her on the back seat, I just spent more than I'm gonna make in the movie. It was an exaggeration, but not a big one.

She had found far too many cute scarves, necklaces and bracelets and she just couldn't resist buying them all. There was one scarf in particular she was in love with, so she bought an entire outfit to go with it. Then she decided that outfit wasn't right for her date so she bought another. And another, just in case she tried the first one on and wasn't feeling it. And one last one, a dress that fit her perfectly, even if she had no where to wear it. On the way out of the mall she spotted Victoria's Secret and decided it was probably a good time to upgrade her undergarments. She picked out a few undies you only wear when there's a chance you're gonna get laid. And a few others she liked. Then she bought bras to match the sexiest pairs. When the cashier rang up the total Carol had wondered how on earth such a small amount of material could add up to so much money.

She was digging cash out of her purse to have ready to pay the cabby when she noticed there was a text on her cell sent almost an hour earlier: Just landed. Should be home in a couple hrs. Will u wait up?

Her heart thudded in her chest. Daryl was at the airport. And he would be home in an hour. She actually had worried she might not even see him until the next afternoon when she got home from work - if he got in too late and she was gone before he was up. It was perplexing why it felt so essential to see him. They spent weeks, even months, apart some years when he wasn't filming in Georgia or when she took roles out of the state. But in less than a week he'd firmly become a part of her routine. Carol was big on routines and once she had one set she liked to stick to it. Yes, that had to be it. She had OCD tendencies and he was now part of them for the duration of her stay. It had nothing to do with his smile, or those biceps, or his sexy flirting. Nope. Definitely not.

Miss me Dixon? she replied. What the fuck, Carol shook her head, realizing after sending it that she was getting right back into the flirting routine.

You know it, was his reply. Yep, right back to where they left off. No big deal, Carol told herself. The flirting and teasing was nothing new. The only reason she was feeling something different was because she needed sex and she was living with a good looking man who was very flirty. It wasn't Daryl. It was circumstance.

See you soon, Carol texted back before shoving the phone into her purse and resuming money collecting. When the cab pulled up in front of her building she handed over the cash, which included a sizable tip since she didn't have any smaller bills, collected her bags and got out.

On the off chance he was already home Carol wandered into the living room to check there first. She set her bags on the couch and quickly checked the rest of the apartment. There was no sign of him. She decided to make something to eat and as she'd been doing all weekend she took it into the living room and turned on the tv while she ate.

When she heard the door a while later she resisted the urge to jump up and meet him in the hallway. She waited until he was in sight, "Hey, welcome home." Daryl smiled at her. He looked exhausted, which didn't surprise her. He likely went out Saturday night and had to be up early that morning to sign.

He dropped his suitcase and took a few steps towards her. "What? Not even a hug?" he said with a pout.

She rolled her eyes, but stood up and walked into his embrace. He smelled funny. But she knew it was a mixture of all the perfumes of the women he'd been hugging and posing for photos with. There were likely some even recently at the airport. "You look like you need some sleep," Carol said, stepping back.

"Hmm, I will. But first… tell me about your weekend," he requested. Carol moved back to her seat on the couch and Daryl sat beside her. He didn't have the option to sit any further away with all her bags still at the other end. "Looks like you had some fun with your Visa today," he said, eyeing the bags.

"Yeah… maybe a little too much fun," Carol replied, with a sheepish look.

Daryl was still eying the bags. "What's in here?" he asked, grabbing the pink bag from Victoria's Secret. Before she had a chance to snatch it he was pulling something out. Carol reached to yank it away, but he quickly stood and dodged her. "Holy fuck," he muttered, holding up the skimpiest damn thing she'd bought. It happened to be the pair she intended on wearing the next evening. It wasn't exactly a thong. The display called it a 'cheeky panty.'

Daryl held them up and she felt her cheeks go red. They were bright blue, completely lace, very much see thru, but the part she thought was really cute and sexy was the heart shaped cutout in the back… the same cutout that Daryl was poking his finger through muttering something about it being very interesting. Suddenly he looked up at her. "Wait a minute… what do you need panties like this for?"

"Because I like them," Carol attempted.

"No, no, no…" he shook his head. "These are 'fuck me' panties. Is there a matching bra in there?" Carol looked away. "There is," he laughed. "So who is the lucky guy?"

"Why does there have to be a guy?" Carol asked. "Maybe I bought them for later… or in case…"

"You can't lie to me. I can see it on your face. Is it that guy from the bar?" he asked. She scowled. "You're really going out with that pretty boy?"

"Look who's talking," Carol shot back.

"I am not a pretty boy, you know that," he said, looking at the panties again. "I clean up good, but only when I have to." He flung the panties at her. "If you want to model them I can let you know how they look," he offered with a grin. "It's not really fair that some guy you just met gets all the glory."

"I kinda hate you right now," she said, tucking the panties back in the bag.

Daryl plopped back down beside her and ignored her statement. "So where is he taking you?"

"Uh… Riverpark…" she replied. She felt weird talking about her date with him.

He nodded. "Nice place. You'll like it." He stared at her for a moment. "You really sure he's a good choice?"

"Why do you care?" Carol asked, looking suspiciously at him. Was there a hint of jealousy?

"Dunno," he shrugged. "New York is full of creeps and arrogant assholes… perverts," he grinned as if he was proud of the label.

"He got my suitcase off the conveyer at the airport," she explained. "He already had his stuff, but I missed mine the first time and he waited… just to help me."

"Ohhh how chivalrous," Daryl teased. "Maybe he recognized you."

"Maybe. But it was still sweet," she said defensively.

"So wait… are you actually interested in this guy? Or is this just a booty call?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" Carol said, giving him a bit of a glare.

Daryl licked his lips and the sight of his damn tongue made her forget what she'd even asked as he replied, "I guess not… but I'm curious."

Fuck, what were we even talking about? Deflect, a voice in her head yelled. "It's late. I gotta be up early." he nodded, but he had that look… that terrifying look that could make her do almost anything. Like allow him to kiss her. So much kissing with him. Too much kissing. But it was just too good to stop. Once again she found herself parting her lips and eagerly meeting his tongue. And this time, she even let Daryl draw her into his lap, as they continued to kiss. Her body was screaming for more and her heart was pounding so hard it was all she could hear. She felt his hand trailing down her back. This was how sex so often started. A little kissing, a little groping and the next thing you know… Dammit, she had to stop it. But his hand was almost to her ass and she wanted him to cup her cheek and squeeze. She wanted his fingers to move lower, and get so close… With a frustrated growl she pushed away and moved out of his lap, standing up and getting even more distance between them.

"Daryl… what's with the kissing again?" Carol said, trying to catch her breath and steady herself from the weakness in her knees.

He stood and once again he was right back in her space. Carol struggled to breathe. "If tomorrow night goes well… I might not be able to do that anymore without risking a beating," he shrugged. "I mean, I could probably take him though," Daryl added with the sexiest smile she'd ever seen. He lifted her chin with a finger and looked into her eyes. She had no idea what was going on by that point. Her brain was mush. "If his kiss isn't better than mine… If he doesn't make you feel something… Don't do it."

With that he released her and walked away. Don't do it… Was Daryl really telling her not to have sex with William if it didn't mean anything? Really? Was that actually coming from a guy who had random hookups all the time? And likely had at least one or two while he was in Dallas. What the fuck was happening? And why was she actually considering taking his advice.


	14. Chapter 14

Daryl had music blaring when Carol got home from work Monday afternoon. She found him in the living room. He'd pushed the furniture aside, put a huge tarp on the floor and was staring intently at a large canvas. There was paint splatter all over the coveralls he was wearing and Carol could see the tarp had a fair share of paint on it as well.

She knew he painted, but she'd never actually seen him at work. Daryl had told her a couple years ago that his agent made him talk to a psychologist because the pressure of becoming so famous and recognized was really getting to him. The psychologist suggest that he find an outlet of some sort to relieve the stress. Daryl refused to try yoga and his attempt at journaling lasted all of about 3 days, but he'd really taken to painting.

Carol leaned against the wall and watched, hoping he wouldn't notice her for a few minutes. His process was fascinating. He was so intense and focussed as he swept his brush across the canvas several times and then followed up with a bunch of splatters in different colors. He stepped back again to examine what he'd done and Carol was pretty sure he'd never looked sexier. Her heart was thudding along with the hammering beat of the music.

She was about to sneak away and compose herself, but she got busted. "Hey, you're home," he called out. "Come see…" Daryl was waving her over. He turned down the music as she approached. "Before you look… don't laugh. My work is usually much darker and more… weird. But you inspired this…" Carol peeked around the corner and gasped. It was beautiful. Completely abstract. But it had a feel to it. Looking at the painting you could actually feel his emotions.

"Comfort… happiness…and something else…" Carol said. There was something she just couldn't quite put her finger on that he was trying to convey.

Daryl nodded. "I ain't gonna tell you," he replied with a grin. "I'll let it dry and have it framed. I think I'm gonna clear that wall and hang it," he pointed to the wall behind her. "I'm sure at some point before you leave you'll figure it out."

"You know it's gonna drive me crazy," Carol sighed, giving him a little pout in hopes that he'd just give in and tell her.

"Yep, I know. It's gonna be great," he teased. Daryl did a couple touch ups.

Carol glanced at the clock. "So what time do I need to catch a cab to be to Riverpark for 7?" she asked, staring at the painting and still trying to figure out that last feeling he was trying to convey.

"Oh, you're still going," Daryl muttered.

Carol looked at him. "Wouldn't want to waste that new pair of underwear. Or the matching bra. And the new outfit I bought. New shoes…"

"Let's go back to the underwear," he teased. "What's the bra look like? The offer still stands if you want to model them, ya know."

"I think I'll be just fine," she replied. "So what time do you think?"

"Hmm… be ready at 6," he said, gathering brushes. "I'll drive you. Gonna hit the end of the rush for sure, so it could take close to hour."

"Wait, what? No, no, no," Carol resisted. "You're not driving me to my date."

"Why not? Maybe I have my own plans and I'm just dropping you off on the way," he shot back. "Just go get ready, you've only got an hour… I know you girls need extra primping time."

Carol took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Daryl could be so damn frustrating sometimes. But he was also stubborn as a mule so she decided not to waste time arguing with him. "Fine, you can drop me off, but… I'll find my own way home… If I come home…" With that she turned and headed to the shower, leaving Daryl with a very interesting scowl.

Jealousy. That was the word of the moment. It was the word she couldn't get out of her mind the entire time she got ready for her date. She should have been thinking about the handsome, charming man she was going out with. But all she could think about was that look on Daryl's face.

Booty call. That was the next thing on her mind. It was what she was using to distract her from the strange way Daryl was acting and the crazy why her body continued to respond. Since when was jealousy a turn on? Jealousy wasn't sexy. But Daryl was sexy. And Daryl was jealous. Thus, jealous just became sexy. Carol sighed. So much for the booty call distraction. She was right back to square one.

Oh well, by the time I sit down at the table with William it will be fine, Carol thought. He would be sweet and kind. He would make her laugh. And he would turn her on. Because handsome, chivalrous men were a huge turn on. Sex crazed, perverted men who got jealous when they had no right to get jealous were not.

By the time she was ready to go, almost 10 minutes early, Carol felt better. She was going to have an amazing night - end of story. When she found Daryl in the kitchen he really did look like he had plans. Unfortunately for her, he looked pretty damn handsome. "Wow, you look hot," he said with a low whistle.

"You like?" Carol said, spinning around. She felt amazing and the compliment made her feel even better.

Daryl stood, walked over and kissed her cheek. "The lucky bastard is gonna wanna take you home the minute he sees you." He looked at her, his face serious. "He hurts you and I'll kill him," Daryl whispered. "Okay, let's go," he added quickly, making sure things didn't get awkward.

Daryl was right, it did take almost an hour to get to the restaurant. "Let me out back here," she said. She really didn't want William to see her climbing out of another man's car.

"You absolutely sure? Change your mind now and I'll take you out to an even better restaurant a few blocks North," Daryl offered.

"Thought you had plans?" Carol chuckled. "This is good, right here." He pulled over and she opened the door. "Don't wait up," she sang, climbing out and flashing him a brilliant smile and wave.

William was waiting at their table when Carol entered the restaurant. He saw her and stood, waving, with a gorgeous smile. He looked very handsome. She returned the smile and walked towards him. He held her chair and helped her sit. "You… wow… you look beautiful," he said, sitting back down across from her.

"Thank you," Carol replied, blushing slightly.

"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of ordering my favourite wine," he said, motioning for the waiter to come pour.

She watched at her glass was filled with white wine. When the waiter left Carol lifted it to her lips and took a sip. "Mmm, delicious," she said genuinely. She honestly wasn't a picky wine

drinker, but she could tell whatever he ordered was not cheap and it was certainly worth every penny.

The evening continued and Carol was truly having a great time. William was just as charming as she'd expected he would be. He said all the right things, all the things she needed to hear. He was easy to talk to, he made her laugh, and she was… comfortable. But every once in a while she hoped for something… something a little less perfect. Something raw and passionate instead of clean and rehearsed. It reminded her of acting with someone who stuck exactly to the script. It was fine. It was easy. It always turned out okay. But when she worked with someone who improvised, because they were so full of passion for what they were doing - like she was - it was magical.

About halfway through the main course Carol noticed that something changed. William seemed distracted. "Are you okay?" she finally asked, feeling very curious.

William took a deep breath and looked at her. "I was going to just pretend I didn't know who you were right from the first moment I laid eyes on you in the airport," he admitted. "I thought maybe you would just want to be treated like a normal person and not wonder if I was interested in you because I know you're an actor."

Carol smiled. "It's okay. There are becoming less and less people who don't know who I am these days. Don't let it bother you."

"I wasn't going to worry about it. I really wasn't," William shook his head. "Until he showed up."

"He? Who? What are you talking about?" Carol asked, very confused. William gestured behind her to the left. She turned and felt her body fill with rage. Daryl was sitting at a table, eating dinner alone.

"I don't know what's going on… but Daryl Dixon is sitting a few tables over and he's had his eyes on you all night," William said, looking somewhat annoyed.

"I will take care of this," Carol hissed, her eyes flashing.

"No," William said, reaching for her arm to stop her. "I don't know what's going on between you two…I mean, the world knows you two are friends and I've heard rumours but never thought they could be true… Anyway, I don't want to be a part of whatever this is…"

"William, please," she started. What the fuck is going on? she screamed in her mind.

"Listen, it's been fun. No hard feelings, I promise," he offered a little smile. "I'm gonna take care of the cheque and be on my way."

"But… why… Can't we finish dinner? Or leave right now, go somewhere else?" Carol asked, wanting desperately to save the evening.

"You have no idea how he's been looking at you all night. Or the icy glare I'm getting," William chuckled. "He's been my favourite actor for a long time. I can't piss him off."

That statement was enough to not only piss her off more, but to allow her to let him go. If William was more concerned about hurting Daryl's feelings than having a good time with her than he wasn't worth the fight. He stood and came over to place a kiss on her cheek. "Sorry things didn't work out," he said softly. "Feel free to stay and finish the wine if you want. Or I can call a cab if you want."

"I'm fine," Carol said, trying not to sound too cold. "Night."

She watched him leave and took a minute to gather her composure before she stood and walked to Daryl's table. "What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing. Here?" she seethed, through clenched teeth.

"I was hungry," he shrugged. "This ravioli is amazing, want a bite?" he asked, holding out his fork.

"Stuff down the rest of your fucking ravioli, pay your damn bill and take me home," Carol hissed, her eyes flashing. She had never been more angry with him in her entire life. In fact, right then she couldn't remember ever being truly angry with him:

"Are you mad at me?" he asked so innocently it was almost believable.

"We'll talk at home," Carol said, taking a calming breath so as not to cause a scene in the restaurant. She gave him the silent treatment the entire drive, which was the worst form of torture for a guy like Daryl who didn't deal well with someone being mad at him. Eventually he gave up and sang along with the radio. She refused to let his off key singing charm her.

The second they walked into his apartment and the door shut, she dropped her purse to the floor, spun on him and let loose. "What the fuck were you thinking? Why would you eat dinner where you knew I was on a date? He left. He left because of you. You ruined my plans. You ruined my night," she growled. Daryl looked like a child getting a scalding at the principal's office and for once in his life he knew enough to keep his mouth shut. "He was sweet and kind. I was having fun. We were having a great time. And you wrecked it all with your stupid testosterone fueled glares."

"Wait, what?" Daryl interrupted. "I wasn't glaring at anyone. It's my beady little eyes. People just think I'm glaring when I'm not."

"Cut the crap," Carol said, putting her hands on her hips. "William said you were glaring and I believe him."

"So why?" she took a step towards him that was supposed to be threatening, but he didn't seem the least bit concerned. "Why were you really there? Why did you stay? Why did you want to drive me there in the first place?" Carol was pushing. Hard. And she wasn't even sure she wanted to know the answer. "Come on Daryl, tell me the truth. You think I can't handle the truth?" What was the truth? she wondered. Was it really jealousy? Or was he being over protective. Did he not think she could handle herself? Did he not trust her? She took another step towards him. "Tell me," she hissed.

"Okay fine," he snapped. "You really want to know?" Daryl took a step towards her and she could feel the tension between them double. "I didn't want you to go home with him. Didn't want you to fuck him. Didn't want you to spend the night. And not… come home… to… me…"

His words hung in the air, filling the room with a heaviness to the point Carol was struggling to breathe. What did that mean? She wanted to scream. It was still so vague. His voice softened and he took another step forward, close enough to reach out and touch her cheek. "I couldn't stand the thought of his hands on you." Carol felt her heart start to go crazy. "It was stupid, I know… and I tried to drive away. But the next thing I knew I was parking. And I walked in, requested a table that I knew was close to yours…" He licked his lips. "Maybe I was glaring… a bit," he admitted with his stupid sexy grin. "But it wasn't often because I couldn't take my eyes off you."

All of a sudden everything became clear. It had been jealously all along. Just like she thought. But instead of being angry… Carol was flattered. Completely floored, but absolutely flattered. The next step was perfectly obvious. "I had big plans," Carol said softly. "Big plans that you ruined."

"I'm so sorry," he sighed.

"Guess you'll have to make it up to me somehow," she replied, catching his eye and holding his gaze. "I was supposed to get laid tonight. Fuck, I need to get laid, so bad," she groaned, immediately seeing the desire reflecting in his eyes. "But you went and messed that all up now didn't you?" Carol said sassily. "So," she turned on the seductive charm. "Tell me Dixon, whatcha gonna do about it?"


	15. Chapter 15

_AN: Well, things are about to get smutty y'all. Lots and lots of smutty from here on out pretty much, LOL. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading._

 **Chapter 15**

"Hmm," Daryl breathed, slipping his hand from her cheek, down to her neck. "Did you want me to call someone?" he asked, starting to slowly rub his thumb in circles over her pulse point. Carol knew her heart was hammering and he would feel the strong, rapid beat at her jugular. "I've got a few single friends in the city who would be more than happy to take care of your needs."

"What kind of game are you playing Dixon?" she asked. "You want me to say it? You want me to admit it's you I want?"

He leaned in and brushed his nose along the curve of her chin. Carol shivered. "You think you can handle me?" he asked, his warm breath tickling her ear.

She snorted. "Oh I know I can. It's you I'm worried about," she teased, nipping at his ear lobe. Truth was, he was likely way crazier and way more of a freak in bed than she was. But once again, it sounded like a competition and she was damned if she was going to let him win. On the other hand, if he did win… it only meant she was going to get some crazy, hot sex out of the deal. It was win win for her, really.

"I love a challenge," he growled, before covering her mouth with his. Carol snaked her arms around him and grabbed his ass. It was firm, just like she'd expected. She pulled him against her, enjoying the feel of his firm body.

Daryl's kiss was fucking hot and was creating a stirring inside her that was strengthening faster than she'd ever felt herself build before. He alternated between deep, intense kissing, stroking and sucking her tongue, and gentle soft kissing, even moving away from her mouth and placing sweet pecks on her face. He also got kinky once in a while, biting or sucking on her lip and those moments made her want to throw him to the floor immediately and ride him hard.

"So wait," he said, pulling back and smirking. Here it comes, Carol thought. "You said I'm the one you wanted… so why were you out with that dude tonight?" He started to unbutton her shirt while they talked and she appreciated the fact that he wasn't wasting precious time.

Carol sighed, partly because his fingers were brushing her bare skin and it was tantalizing, but also because she was about to admit something she hadn't intended on admitting. "Because I figured if I got fucked… maybe I would quit thinking about fucking you."

Daryl undid the last button and yanked the shirt open wide, exposing her body and the new bra. "You'll never stop thinking about me," he replied cockily. "Especially not after tonight." He moved a hand from her shoulder down over the swell of her breast, grazing the silk and lace of the bra and then let it trail down over her belly. His touch left tingles on her skin and a burning desire for more.

Carol reached out and grabbed him, sticking her hand in the front of his pants. She could feel the tip of his dick and her body reacted with a rush. "Let's get to that, shall we?" She gave a little tug and he stepped forward. "Your room or mine?"

"We'll start in yours," he said, touching her neck and then leaning in to kiss it. "There's something I want in there." Carol knew exactly what he was referring to and she had to shift and squeeze her legs to quell the ache. "But unless you have rubbers we can finish up in my room." She didn't reply, just gave him one more tug before slipping her hand out and turned to head down the hall to her room. Daryl groaned as he followed her, "Fuck, I can't wait to see those panties."

Carol laughed. "If I wasn't so God damn horny right now I would make you earn it." She shoved open the door and spun to attack his lips the second they were both inside. Daryl was an amazing kisser, but so was she and this time she ran the show. When he moaned into her mouth and responded eagerly it only encouraged her more. He pushed the shirt off her shoulders and Carol let it slip off her arms to the floor. But when he went to reach for her pants she drew back and bit his lip. "Maybe I will make you work for it," she replied, her eyes sparkling with an evil glint.

Daryl licked his lip where she bit him. "I think your drew blood," he replied with a pout. "I was gonna warn you that I'm a biter… but, fuck, it's game on." Carol met his stare and realized how alike they were in some respects. Their competitive spirit was alive and she knew it was going to be one hell of a game.

She reached out and undid the top button on his shirt, then ran her hands down his chest, enjoying the feel of his body. When she got to the bottom she grabbed it and tugged the sweater up over his head, standing on her tiptoes to get it off. "No shirt for me, no shirt for you," she said, giving him a demure look. "We're gonna keep things even."

"Well in that case," Daryl replied, reaching around her body and flicking the clasp of her bra. "My nipples are showing." She felt the bra release and watched as he pulled it away and freed her boobs. The cool air washed over her and that, mixed with the fact that she knew he was staring at her tits with lust filled eyes, made her nipples grow stiff instantly. He reached out and touched one, with a single fingertip, just a light graze. Carol felt her body quiver and watched the nipple pucker even more.

That one touch ignited something in him and the next thing she knew he was firmly latched to one breast and had the other in his hand. There was a wild and crazy fury to the way he was desperately sucking her and it only made her crave him more. Was it just sex he wanted? Or was it her? She only allowed herself to wonder for a second and promised not to let the thought interrupt their encounter again. The truth was, she had no idea of the answer for him... Or for herself. But she did know the sex was going to be incredible. And she couldn't focus past that anyway.

When he finally released her and moved for her pants again Carol allowed it. Once they hit the floor and she stepped out it was only the panties left. "Even better than I imagined when I jerked off last night," Daryl groaned. There was something about knowing he'd been thinking of her while he masturbated that turned the ache at her core to almost a throbbing sensation. He stepped back slightly to get a better look. There was no need to be self conscious. Carol knew the undies looked amazing and if she didn't... The look of wild desire on his face was enough to convince her.

He walked around behind her and groaned. "God you have such a sweet ass." Daryl grabbed it, his hands squeezing, touching material and bare skin. He spun her towards the bed and bent her over, then trailed his hands down the crack of her ass to where the material disappeared between her cheeks, and even farther, to where it reappeared but was incredibly damp. "Fuck, you're soaking wet," he moaned. She gasped when he slipped a finger under the material, right into her slick, delicate folds. She couldn't help but push back against his hand, urging him deeper. "You like that," he said huskily, working a second finger in and pushing inside her.

"Oh God yeah," she sighed, hoping he would start moving. But he didn't, he pulled his hand out. Fucking tease, she thought with a pout. She heard a zipper and realized he was taking his pants off. She waited impatiently until she felt something hard rubbing against her ass. He still had his underwear on, but Daryl was rubbing himself against her. Just feeling how ready he was and the memory of his fingers up inside her made her pussy practically gush.

Suddenly he stopped, and pulled her to her feet, then turned her around and eased her back onto the bed. Carol couldn't help but stare at the bulge in his underwear. She wanted to see him, so bad. All of him. Not just see him, but touch him. She wanted to stroke him and suck him and make Daryl weak in the knees. She wanted to see a look of bliss on his face and know that she'd put it there. But he had different plans. He quickly tugged off her panties and shoved her legs apart. Yes, yes, yes, Carol screamed, forgetting all about what she wanted to do to him.

Then the strangest thing happened. He paused and looked at her, then spoke gently, "I want to lick your pussy."

Was he… asking… for permission? She wanted to reply with a teasing comment, something sarcastic hinting at the fact it was crazy for him to even ask if she wanted his tongue in her, but he looked so genuine. It was almost… chivalrous. It completely threw her off. But it also made him… somehow… even sexier. She made a mental note to ask him about it later, afterwards, and bit back the comment. Carol nodded and took a deep breath as he lowered his head.

The warmth of his breath on it's own, even before he actually licked her was enough to leave her grasping the bed sheets. She gasped with the first sweep of his tongue over her slit and whimpered as he delved deeper. Carol usually hated it when she did that, it felt like such an admission of weakness and a loss of control, but this time she was quite willing to relinquish all control. She would give it all to him and let Daryl do whatever he wanted to do. Not only was she confident that he knew exactly what he was doing, but more importantly she trusted him completely.

He explored her slowly and delicately, making her want to squirm and beg. But Carol forced herself to lie there, her eyes closed, and simply focus on the pleasure he was giving her. She committed the feelings to memory - the way his tongue could morph from strong to gentle in an instant, the tickle of his facial scruff, the heat of his breath and the confidence he displayed with each movement.

Daryl hadn't actually touched her clit yet, but he was working closer and closer. She was dying to shift her body and get that tongue exactly where she wanted it, but once again she forced herself to stay still for the time being. Just when he got close once again Daryl stopped, lifted his head and moved to her mouth. As he kissed her he lay his hand flat between her legs, just as a little reminder of his touch. He didn't rub her or move it at all, just simply left it there while he explored her mouth with the same tongue he'd just shoved deep into her pussy.

The taste threw her at first, but soon Daryl had her craving more, sucking his tongue and hoping he wouldn't stop. But eventually he did stop. "Where is it?" he asked, giving her a sexy smile.

"Second drawer, right hand side," Carol replied, with a sigh as a wave of anticipation rippled through her. What was he going to do with it? She wondered. The possibilities were endless and she couldn't wait to find out.

He returned with the vibrator, turning the toy on. The sound made her shiver with desire. He moved back into position, with his face between her legs and picked up where he'd left off and immediately she was on the edge, grasping the sheets once again. As he worked his way towards her clit once again he added the bullet into the mix, rubbing it over her folds and teasing her opening several times before finally slipping it inside her. Carol bit back the urge to scream but couldn't hold in the little squeal of desire. It bordered on a whimper again but she really didn't give a fuck. Whatever he was doing felt too good to think about anything else. The vibrations inside her were so erotic and his tongue flicking her clit was... like being in the most perfect possible moment of euphoria.

She was getting closer and closer with every lick, and every movement as he worked the toy around inside her, slipping it out some and pushing it back in. Carol wanted to thrash and writhe with ecstasy because it felt so good, but her body was frozen in place, the only thing changing was the fire intensifying and every muscle in her body starting to clench.

Daryl started to suck lightly on her clit and as he did he slipped the vibrator out and moved it lower. Carol gasped as the vibrations tickled her anus. Her whole body shuddered involuntarily and she was shocked by how much she wanted it. Daryl lifted his head. "You like that don't you?" he teased. "I knew you were a naughty girl."

Her eyes flashed and she grabbed his head, moving his face back between her legs. She was in no mood for teasing. He'd pushed her that far and he needed to finish her off. "Don't fucking stop," she growled, crying out as he found her again and sucked hard.

As much as she wanted it, she couldn't bring herself to verbally encourage him to shove the toy inside her. He continued to tease the area, adding just a little pressure, but not actually penetrating. It was enough. Carol couldn't hold on anymore. She couldn't wait it out to see if he'd give her what she wanted. He started to flick his tongue quickly over her clit and she was done. She cried out again and her body shook hard as the orgasm rocked her. She squeezed her eyes tighter and saw the darkness explode with flicks of white lightning, bright and strong at first as the waves of pleasure rippled through her body, then slowly starting to fade as it passed. Daryl gave her one more lick and she squirmed, shoving him away. It was too sensitive right after.

She felt his hands stroking her body and enjoyed him touching her arms and legs, stomach and even her boobs. Anything but there was okay. She didn't hear the vibrator anymore and realized he'd turned it off.

Carol was exhausted. Her body felt limp and spent from the build and the intensity of her orgasm. When she opened her eyes and yawned Daryl was smiling at her. "Oh no," he shook his head. "Wake up Princess, we're just getting started."

"Hmm, I'm good," she said, trying to hide a second yawn as he smirked at her. "I'm good… just give me… 2 minutes." She was always tired after she came, but it generally wore off fast.

Daryl shoved his arms underneath her and scooped her up. "How 'bout 15 seconds?" he asked, carrying her out the door and down the hall to his room. Turned out 15 seconds was just about right. By the time he flopped her onto the bed Carol was wide awake and ready to finally see every inch of him. She scrambled to the edge of the bed and reached for him. She bit her lip and slipped a finger in his waistband. She pulled it out and took her first peek. Yeah, 15 seconds was definitely good enough because she was ready to go.

Carol released the elastic gently and looked at Daryl, blinking innocently. She knew the look on her face didn't match the tone of her voice as she commanded him, "Take them off. Now."


	16. Chapter 16

Carol bit back a moan as Daryl kicked away his underwear and stood naked before her. He was beautiful, all of him. Penises weren't always the prettiest things to look at, but his was - long and thick, begging to be stroked. She reached out and slowly wrapped a hand around his girth. Daryl couldn't hold back the moan and his dick throbbed in her hand. She could feel the little veins brushing her palms as she inched up towards the head. Carol brought her fist right to the end, before pushing the tip back through the hole and stroking him all the way back down to the base.

She repeated the same process, but this time when she saw the head appear she leaned forwards and met it with a swirl of her tongue. "Fuck," he hissed. He moved a bit closer, likely hoping it might encourage more than a lick. But Carol was in the mood to tease a bit. Just a bit, because it was fun, but not too much because, well, she had urges that needed to be satisfied too.

Carol pumped her fist up and down, but never gave him more than a little lick once in awhile. Finally she opened her mouth and took just the head of his dick inside and only for a brief moment. As Daryl moved his hips, trying to push deeper she backed away with an evil grin. "Carol, please?" he whined, looking slightly anguished. She gave him a look, playing it like she was giving in and about to give him what he wanted, but instead she licked him from base to tip, sucked just a tiny bit and released him again. "You're killing me," he groaned. "I'll beg, I'll fucking beg if that's what you want."

"Mmm, that would be entertaining," she replied, before cupping his balls and rubbing his cock over her outstretched tongue. "But let's save the begging for next time," she added, diving forward and swallowing him up as deep into her throat as she could stand.

Daryl whimpered and she felt his legs wobble. With his dick still in her mouth she slipped off her seated position on the bed and knelt at his feet. It gave her far better leverage. She grabbed his ass as she took him in and out of her mouth. Eventually Daryl started to move with her and Carol stopped, allowing him to fuck her mouth. She carefully placed her tongue to prevent him from pushing too deep and choking her and shifted her gaze upwards to try to see his face. Daryl had his head back so she couldn't see a thing, but the moans coming from him were enough to know exactly what kind of look was on his face.

Carol felt a ripple of heat and let go of him with one hand, shifting to a squatting position and spreading her legs apart. She slipped her hand between her legs and felt her fingers slip easily inside, immediately slick with moisture. Daryl noticed she was touching herself and stopped his thrusting. He pulled out of her mouth and gazed down at her.

She met his gaze and slowly moved herself back onto the bed, not breaking eye contact the entire time. Her heart was pounding already, but it intensified when Daryl grabbed his dick and started to stroke himself while he watched her move her fingers slowly in and out of her pussy. For as long as she could remember, one of her biggest turn ons was to watch a guy masterbate. It was really a double edged sword because she loved to watch, but the more she did the more she wanted to be fucked.

She didn't plan on letting Daryl in on that little secret though. She wanted him to make the move. She dug deep, looked at him with big, blue innocent eyes and spoke demurely, "You want this?" Carol slipped her fingers out all the way and plunged them back in with a moan. "Oh god," she sighed. "I'm so wet…" She almost snorted out loud with laughter as he practically dove for his nightstand drawer and scrambled for a condom. The speed with which he tore it open and rolled in on was actually quite impressive.

Daryl grinned as he dove onto the bed. "You better be absolutely sure you want this, because you've got about 2 seconds to stop me."

"One… two… oops, time's up," she said sweetly. Daryl grabbed her wrists, pinned her hands above her head, worked her legs apart with his knee, though she gave absolutely no resistance, and plunged into her. "Oh," she gasped, lifting her hips off the bed to take him deeper. She wanted him so bad and it was worth all the anticipation to feel him inside her, filling her up, stretching her slightly. It wasn't so much it hurt, but it was enough to remind her of his size.

Daryl released her wrists and grabbed her tits aggressively. "Mmm," she moaned. He would find out soon enough how much she enjoyed it a little rough. A little bit of pain turned her on even more. Nothing crazy, she was into the whole BDSM thing, but a rough grab, a hard fuck, a light bite, even a well time ass slap could drive her absolutely wild.

He started to fuck her slow, letting her feel all of him as he slid out and pushed back in. When she closed her eyes all she could think about was the physical way he was making her body feel. Yeah, it had been a while. Yeah, she needed and wanted a good fuck. But it still had to be a good fuck. And this was definitely shaping up to be a damn good fuck. Daryl talked a good game. He always had. But she never expected she would find out for sure if he was all talk or could really back up his words.

So when she opened her eyes and looked at the man who was making her body feel amazing things… It hit her hard, every time, when she realized once again it was him. It was Daryl fucking her. It was Daryl sucking her nipples so hard they stung, but leaving her wishing he'd suck even harder. It was Daryl's cock that was worshipping her pussy like a freaking God. It was Daryl, her buddy Daryl, that was making her want to scream. And it felt… right.

That was the most surprising part. It wasn't awkward, not yet anyway, and she didn't feel like what they were doing was wrong. It felt like a necessity. It felt like something that had been building and waiting for the right moment - and that moment had finally arrived.

While she was lost in thought for a moment Daryl pulled out, which definitely caught her attention. It was the most disappointing feeling she'd felt in a long time. She looked up at him with a pout. "On your hands and knees," he ordered. That made her smile. Daryl, taking her from behind, doggy style… could it get any better? Carol flipped and lifted her ass, exposing herself and hoping he would hurry up and shove back inside her.

But he was taking his sweet time. Carol looked back to see what he was doing and just as she did Daryl leaned forward and licked her pussy. "Fuck," she muttered as her head dropped forward again and she focused on how good his damn tongue felt. He licked and delved his tongue deep and she shivered with pleasure. When he pulled back she prepared herself for him to reenter but Daryl wasn't finished with his tongue… He moved higher… Oh God, her mind was screaming… It was quick, very brief, but he absolutely licked her asshole. And she... absolutely loved it.

Daryl chuckled. "You liked that didn't you?" He rubbed the area with the tip of his finger. "You have a sweet little ass," he moaned. "Fucking sweet." At the exact same time he pushed his dick in her pussy he shoved his finger just slightly inside. Carol gasped and then held her breath. It felt… so wrong, but so right. She'd never been much interested in anything to do with anal until that very moment and it was all she could think about. Daryl pushed deeper, in both places and started to fuck her.

Carol couldn't think of a time she'd orgasmed that fast before. She couldn't think of a time that even came close. It was so strong and intense she couldn't hold herself up, but Daryl held her. He held her ass high and continued to pound her, somehow intensifying her orgasm even more, making it last longer.

She soon realized his need to keep going as Daryl grunted and his strokes shortened. With the last throbs of her inner muscles clenching his dick he came, holding himself deep inside her, his hands squeezing her hips. The disappointing feeling wasn't as prevalent when he pulled out this time. Carol collapsed onto the bed on her stomach, feeling quite exhausted and shaky.

"Didn't peg you for the type who enjoyed anal," Daryl said, from somewhere behind her, likely taking care of the condom.

"I'm not," she replied, somewhat stubbornly. It was true, she wasn't, not usually anyway.

Daryl snorted. "Coulda fooled me." He flopped down beside her. "Just admit it, you liked it. You wanted more."

"It was... Fine," she muttered. Carol rolled and looked at him, "but there's a big difference between your finger and your penis."

"There is," he agreed. "Glad you noticed." And with that he dropped it and the conversation thankfully went in a different direction. "Can't believe that finally happened," Daryl said, running a hand up the back of one leg, over her ass and resting it on the small of her back.

"Finally?" She laughed. "I haven't been here that long."

"Yeah," Daryl muttered. "You think I've only wanted you since you came to New York?" Wait, what was he saying? "You know me better than that. I've wanted to fuck you for years."

"Mmm hmm, me and every other woman on the planet," she teased. Carol didn't know if he meant anything with his comment or not, but she wasn't ready to know one way or another. They had sex and it was great. But that was all it was. Really hot, amazing sex.

Carol sighed and pushed herself up. "I should go," she said, climbing out of bed.

"Oh, uh, you don't have to," Daryl replied quickly.

"Yes," Carol nodded. "I do." She walked towards the door and looked back. She was sure she caught a glimpse of sadness on his face, but it was gone as quick as it appeared and Carol figured she just imagined it.

"God you have a sexy ass Woman," he groaned. "Might have to go round two on my own just watching you walk away. Unless you wanna..."

"Good night Daryl ," she interrupted him, before she did something crazy like agree.

"Night," he replied.

Carol walked down the hall to her room and climbed into bed. She tried to ignore the lonely feeling but it wasn't easy. Thankfully she was tired and drifted off quickly.

Sometime later something woke her. Carol sat up and saw Daryl sitting on the edge of her bed. "What are you doing?" She asked groggily. Rubbing her eyes and wondering if she was dreaming.

"I... Uh... Just this," he mumbled, reaching around the back of her neck and pulling her lips to his.


	17. Chapter 17

Daryl's kiss was different this time. It was achingly sweet and so tender it made her heart flutter. It wasn't that intense thumping in her chest, the kind you get when you know you're gonna get fucked and you want it so bad. It was a light wobble, where it almost felt like her heart was skipping a beat. It was that feeling you get when you see on old couple holding hands as they shuffle down the sidewalk. It was that feeling you get when your favourite couple on TV finally share that special moment you've been waiting for. It was that feeling you get a wedding when the couple share their first kiss as husband and wife.

Daryl still wanted more, that was clear. Carol glanced quickly at the clock and realized it was the middle of the night. He'd either woke up wanting her or hadn't been to sleep yet and finally gave in to his urges and came to her room. But she soon realized he was no longer fucking her - they were making love. The difference was evident in the way he touched her, so gently, caressing her every curve as if he was trying to memorize her body. Gone were the eager, rough grabs, pinches and bites. They were replaced by gentle grazes from the tips of his fingers, and light rubbing or warm hot breaths as he softly kissed her all over.

Daryl explored her entire body, every inch, excruciatingly slowly. Her shock and curiosity as to the marked change in him soon faded away as her sexual desire started to rise. He hadn't even touched her breasts, or between her legs yet and Carol was so turned on she felt like she might go insane before he was finally inside her.

When he did finally move to her breasts, licking around each nipple, slow and gentle, before sucking lightly on each one in turn, it only made things worse. He knew he was coming in her room for round two… there had to be a condom somewhere. Carol turned her head and saw it on the nightstand. She wiggled and reached for it. Daryl smiled down at her and snatched it away. "Patience," he said, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Patience," she grumbled. "I don't have any at 3am."

Daryl ignored her and trailed kisses down the middle of her stomach, stopping to brush his face over her pelvic area and nip lightly at the skin near her hip bones. Carol shivered and felt goosebumps cover her body. He gently eased her legs apart and she could feel his breath as he moved his face lower. The were no licks, no sucking, no fingers involved… he simply did what he'd done to the rest of her body - placed gentle kisses all over with the occasion little nip.

Carol wiggled. She knew she was wet. He had to be getting some of her juices on his lips as he kissed her down there. How was he showing so much restraint knowing how badly she wanted him? With one final nip to the inside of each thigh Daryl sat up. Carol looked down and stared at his dick. It was hard, of course, and had been rubbing against her for a while while he kissed and explored. She wanted to touch him, but she stayed frozen in place, worried that she might end up prolonging what she so desperately wanted.

Her body shuddered while she watched him open the condom and roll it on. Fuck, he's so sexy, Carol thought. He even made putting on a rubber an erotic experience to watch, fueled even more by the fact that she knew it was time - finally. Daryl took it slow, placing his hands on the inside of her thighs and rubbing as he lined up. He slipped just the tip inside and she couldn't help but whimper. He pulled out, waited a second, looking at her with an evil grin and then pushed the tip just inside her again. She tried really hard to keep quiet but a tiny whimper escaped her lips once more, which made his grin even bigger.

Carol needed him all the way inside her, so badly. She begged with her eyes but he didn't budge so she reverted to plan B and slipped her hand down her body and touched her clit, rubbing it lightly, making sure not to brush his dick at all. "Fuck," he hissed. "You win." Daryl grabbed her wrists and held her hands above her head as he pushed all the way inside, keeping eye contact. He moved his hips slowly and she sighed. Finally. Finally she got what she wanted.

Just like everything else about the encounter the intercourse was sweet and sensual. The strokes were slow and deep, completely satisfying and fulfilling though. For once she didn't need fast and hard, at all. She didn't crave anything kinky or wild. It was just pure vanilla, slow and easy love making and it was perfect.

Daryl was gentle. So gentle it was almost hard to believe it was really him. It's not that she thought he would be intentionally rough, but she knew he was very adventurous in the sack. She'd heard stories. But here he was giving her romance novel sex, treating her like a delicate Queen, and it was such a stark contrast to what she would have ever expected from him. But the unexpected was very arousing and Carol knew it wasn't going to take long to push her over the edge.

Eventually she lost ability to maintain eye contact with him. She closed her eyes and focussed on the feelings consuming her body and soul. Her body craved his return every time he moved outwards and there was a fire burning so hot inside her it was both sensual and unbearable at the same time. That's when she knew she was close. That contrast between pleasure and pain. She needed the release. She needed it so bad. But what was happening felt so incredible she wanted it to last forever and ever.

Carol bit her lip as her body started to build to the point where she knew she was about to lose all control. She knew her face was expressing the ecstasy she was feeling. "God, you're so beautiful," Daryl said, gently stroking her cheek. Carol's eyes flew open, but only for a second before her orgasm finally hit. But in that second she saw something in his eyes that left her confused and shocked. It was only a brief glimpse. But the look was unmistakable and no one had ever looked at her with that much love in their eyes before other than her parents and that was certainly a different kind of love. She only had a split second to wonder what the hell was going on before her body and all the pleasurable feelings that were washing over her took all of her attention.

She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut once again. Daryl gathered her up in his arms and pulled her against his body. He stopped moving and held her, stroking her back gently as she rode the wave. As the orgasm started to fade she felt his lips on her neck, sucking at the spot where her heart was pounding. He was completely focussed on her, even though he hadn't come yet.

Carol opened her eyes as the last throbs inside her were still clenching on his dick. He had been so incredibly sweet she wanted to finish him off just as romantically as he'd done for her. "Lay down," she whispered, caressing his beautiful face. Daryl grabbed her and somehow he managed to switch around their positions so he was lying on his back and she was on top, without pulling out. She shifted slightly, smiled at him and started to move slowly, picking up the same pace he'd used with her.

She leaned back and rode him, reaching behind her to massage his balls at the same time. He moaned and she almost looked at him, but something stopped her from meeting his eyes. If that look was still there… she was afraid she would panic. She needed time to think before she saw it again. Or time for it to go away. By morning it would be gone, she was sure of it.

As Carol continued to move on him she felt his balls start to tighten under her fingertips and she knew he was almost there. "Oh…Fuck..." he grunted, grabbing her hips to stop her movement. She could feel his body shuddering beneath her. Knowing his eyes would be closed she glanced quickly at his face and enjoyed the blissful look she saw there. Before he could open them she leaned forward and kissed him then slipped off him onto the bed.

She stretched, yawned and rolled over to reach for the blanket, feeling a slight chill. By that time Daryl had sorted himself out and slipped over beside her, slinging his arm over her and pulling her close. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his words tickling her ear. "I just couldn't stay away." Carol didn't say a word, she simply slid her fingers through his to let him know she understood and didn't mind. It was late and they were both exhausted. She slipped back into dreamland almost instantly.

Despite her being such a light sleeper, when Carol woke up Daryl was gone. It was a lot later than she normally woke up and she wasn't sure if he slept the night with her or left right after. And she sure as hell wasn't about to ask. She had a later start at work and didn't have to leave for a couple hours so she slipped on some clothes, washed up and headed out to the kitchen.

As she approached she heard Daryl on the phone. Something made her stop and listen. "Hey, is Antonia there?" There was a pause. "Hey Toni… I gotta cancel for tonight… Yeah, I'm not feeling great… must be the flu or something… Maybe some other time… Yep… Sorry… Okay… Bye Darlin." The Darlin didn't surprise her, Daryl used pet names for girls all the time, it was common in their business. But the fact he was clearly lying and canceling his plans was interesting.

She waited another few seconds and made her entrance. "Morning," she said sweetly.

"Oh hey Sleepy head," he replied, looking up from his phone. "Pretty late morning for you, isn't it? Something wear you out last night?"

Carol walked over and picked up half a slice of his toast and took a bite. "Maybe," she replied with a grin, after chewing. "But it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

"Sounds like a challenge," Daryl commented stealing his toast back. She looked at him and felt relief wash over her. That look was gone, just like she expected it would be. It must have just been a mistake. Maybe he got caught up in the moment or something. It didn't matter, what mattered was that it was gone and she didn't need to freak out. "Oh the things I'll do to you…"

Carol snatched the toast back again and took a seat across the table where he couldn't reach it. "Who said I was gonna let you touch me again, hmm?"

He just smiled. He knew as well as she did that it would happen again. And likely again and again and again… until she went home to Georgia. "So, uh…" he started, sounding more serious. "I was thinking… since I ruined your dinner last night with airport guy… maybe you would let me take you out tonight to make up for it?"

Carol stopped chewing and looked at him. He had no idea she heard him cancel his plans. He had no idea she heard him lie to some woman to free his schedule. But now she knew why. He freed his evening on the chance she would agree to go out with him. It was strangely sexy and flattering. "Okay," she agreed, nodding. "But this better be good Pumpkin… 'cuz you still have a lot of making up to."


	18. Chapter 18

"Daryl," Carol sighed. "You really don't have to drive me to work every day. I can take a cab in the mornings too." He was ready and waiting for her by the front door. It was sweet, but she didn't want to be a burden or an inconvenience.

"I've got things to do anyway, it's no big deal," he shrugged. "Got another con this weekend. Flying out Thursday night, so you'll be on your own Friday."

"Figures," she replied, picking up her purse and following him out the door. "I'm off Friday."

Daryl looked intrigued, "Friday and all weekend?"

"Mmm hmm. I have a scene to shoot Monday afternoon and I think I'm off for a couple days after that too," Carol said, pushing the elevator button, thankful it seemed to be working better these days.

"So, you could… come with me," Daryl said, very flirtatiously. They stepped on the elevator and the doors closed.

"Or I could stay here, walk around naked all weekend in your big, empty apartment," she answered saucily, shamelessly flirting back.

"You could do the same thing in my big, empty hotel room," Daryl spoke low and sexy, backing her into the corner of the elevator. "And I'd have something to look forward to after a long day of autographs, photos, hugs and crazy, adorable fans."

"Pfft, I'm sure you'll find something…someone to look forward to in… Where is it that you're going?" Carol wasn't even sure where the con was.

"Portland. Wizard World," he answered, moving closer. She was hoping the elevator would hurry and save her from giving in to his charms. "You come and you can save me the trouble of finding...uh... entertainment." It was no secret that Daryl often found himself a hookup while away at cons. He wasn't the only one either. It was never fans though - at least he was smart enough to avoid going there.

"You want a dirty little secret in your hotel room?" Carol giggled. There's no way it would work. She couldn't possibly go with him and not be spotted… could she? "Who else from the cast of your show will be there?" Most of them knew her since she'd visited Daryl on set several times.

"Yours truly, that's it," Daryl replied. "I got no one, baby. You can't send me out there all alone." He looked at her with sad eyes and leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Please?"

Carol whispered back in his ear, "No way."

"Carolllllll," he whined. "At least think about it, okay?" Daryl slid his hands down the side of her body, seductively.

"Oh fine," she said, giving him a look. "I'll think about it. But don't get too excited because it's probably gonna be a no." Daryl grinned as if he'd won. "Did you even hear the last part?"

"Nope, I stopped listening after you agreed to think about it," he admitted as the elevator came to a stop. Daryl kissed the tip of her nose, turned and walked off the elevator. Carol sighed again and followed. He really was an adorable pain in the ass.

It was only a short day on set, but she felt a bit tired on the way home that evening in the cab. "Do I have time for a nap?" she asked as soon as she spotted Daryl in the living room.

"A nap? Are you serious?" he laughed. "Nooooo. Go have a shower and I'll make you a giant espresso."

"Oh fine, that might work," Carol said, dropping her purse on the couch. "What's the dress code?"

"Hmm… whatever you feel comfortable in. But dress a bit warmer. Put an extra layer on top the 12 layers you normally wear," he teased. She couldn't even deny it. She'd been known to layer in the summer in Georgia and this was winter up north. "Oh and if you have another new pair of undies… feel free…"

Carol rolled her eyes and headed off to get ready, but on the way she was mentally choosing which new pair and matching bra she was going to wear. It wasn't easy to pick something to wear when she had no clue where they were going. She assumed they would be eating somewhere… And if he wasn't telling her to dress formal it couldn't be a fancy restaurant. So basically she needed to dress so she wouldn't look overdressed if they were going to a pub or something, and wouldn't look underdressed if they were going somewhere nicer - Luckily she had just the outfit. And she could wear it with her favourite pair of boots, which was even better.

Carol lingered a bit in the shower, but she was still completely ready to go in half an hour. True to his word Daryl had an espresso waiting for her. She sat and sipped at it, enjoying the instant warmth that spread through her. "Should I even bother asking where we're going? Oh and thank you, this is delicious," Carol said taking another sip.

"I could tell you," Daryl said. "But I don't think it would mean anything to you." Carol checked out what he was wearing. It was the usual, jeans, dark sweater, and ball cap.

She finished the last sip of her espresso and stood. "Do we have to be there at a certain time? Reservations?"

"Nope," he shook his head.

She narrowed her eyes, "But you said I couldn't have a nap first…"

Daryl shifted his eyes and grinned. "I didn't want it to cut into our evening since someone has to work in the morning."

Carol glared and walked up to him. He likely thought she was angry, until she reached for his hat, took it off and turned the Yankees logo to the back. "I like seeing your eyes," she whispered. "Let's go. You're wasting precious time Dixon."

He drove them to a tall building, Carol assumed it was an apartment building, and pulled into an underground lot similar to the one at his place, to park. "We going to someone's place?" she asked, wondering what was going on.

"Hmm…kinda," he replied, not giving her much.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Would you just tell me?"

"Nahhhh, this is way more fun," he teased her. "Follow me Sweetheart." Once they were on the elevator he pushed the button for the top floor and started to explain. "My buddy owns the building. He has an apartment on the top floor, but he spends his winters in Panama."

Carol wasn't really following. "So… we're going to his empty apartment… for dinner?"

"Well no. I said he owns the building," Daryl continued. "Which allowed him to do some cool things with the roof. But we need to get there through his place."

"So we're eating outside?" she was still trying to follow, and she was pretty sure she hadn't layered enough to actually sit outside and eat.

"Kinda," he replied as they stepped off the elevator. "If you wait about 45 seconds it will all make sense." Daryl led them to a door and used to key to let them inside. He took off his coat so she followed his lead. She watched him pull out his phone and send a quick text, then put it away. "Come see," he said, offering her a hand. He flipped on a light so they could see where they were going and led her towards a set of glass garden doors. "Ready?" he asked, clearly excited to show her something. Carol nodded.

He pulled open the doors and turned on another light. She gasped. "Oh my god…" she whispered, stepping into a gigantic greenhouse. The smell was an amazing deep floral scent. She took it all in, looking around the room. "How is this place possible? In the winter… in the city…" It was like stepping into another world. It was a bit cool, but not cold. She finally understood the suggestion to layer.

"Any idea how much someone makes in rent when they own a building in Manhattan?" Daryl chuckled. "He's got more than one…and a passion for horticulture… anything's possible."

Carol turned to look at him, her heart rate starting to pick up, just a bit. Daryl plucked a flower off a shrub and stepped forward to tuck in behind her ear. "Who are you?" she said, looking up at him.

"What?" he shrugged. "You gotta have a romantic side if you wanna get laid," he replied, in true Daryl fashion.

"Oh so you brought me up here to get laid?" she asked, crossing her arms. Fuck, of course he did. She was hoping for it and expecting it, but she wouldn't let him off without a little teasing.

"Of course not," he gasped, acting shocked at the suggestion. "I owed you a lovely evening since I apparently ruined yours last night…"

"Apparently?" she cut in. "There's nothing apparent about it. My date left because you were ogling me and shooting him daggers all through dinner."

"It wasn't exactly ogling," Daryl protested.

"Oh yeah? What would you call it then?" Carol shot back, amused since they'd had this argument once before.

"Uh... A protective stare?" He offered. It was rather funny that he wouldn't admit it again that he'd been jealous. She wanted to see if she could get it out of him.

"Laced with jealousy?" She added, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, do we really need to define it so precisely?" He scoffed.

"Yep," she replied, her eyes twinkling.

Daryl touched her cheek and his face changed. "Fine," he said softly. "It was pure jealousy." He looked into her eyes before he eagerly captured her lips. His kiss was extremely possessive, which was usually a trait that turned her off in a man. She didn't like to feel like anyone's property, but there was something exciting about the idea of being his… And something terrifying about the fact she was actually considering it.

Every kiss seemed to be just a little different. They'd had sex twice and they couldn't have been more polar opposite encounters. It left her wondering what was next? What side of Daryl would come out the next time he was aroused and she was willing? And what side did she want? If the kiss didn't end soon Carol realized she might find out sooner rather than later.

Dammit, she thought, once again they were in romance novel territory. Kissing passionately, high above the city in a little magical garden at night… A buzzing against her leg interrupted her train of thought. "Dinner must be here," he announced, after breaking the kiss. He pulled his phone out and looked. "Be right back," he added, jogging into the house. He returned with a paper bag. "So it's not fine dining… but you're in New York, I figured it was time you had a true NYC kinda meal… picnic style," he finished, pointing to a blanket on the floor she hadn't even noticed. There was some kind of drink on ice. How the hell did he do all this? she wondered.

Daryl took her hand again and helped her sit. He sat too and started pulling things out of the bag. "So I got three things for dinner that New York is known for, from the best places in the city." He pulled out two containers. "First we have Manhattan Clam Chowder from Randazzos." He passed her the styrofoam container and she could tell it was still hot. "You'll never have chowder from anywhere else after this, I swear," he added with a smile. "Next," he pulled out a sandwich wrapped in deli style paper and set it between them. "Corned beef on Rye, from Katz's… I only got one. Hope you don't mind sharing?" Carol smiled at him and shook her head. "Good. And finally, for dessert…" he produced two plastic containers. "The best cheesecake you'll ever taste in your life, from Junior's in Brooklyn."

"Oh God, can we just start with that?" she groaned. Cheesecake was her favourite dessert and she couldn't wait to taste it.

He gave her a horrified look. "That would be like having sex first and foreplay later."

"I don't see a problem with that," she shrugged, reaching for the cheesecake.

"Uh, uh, uh," he warned, placing the containers behind him, out of her reach. "Here's your spoon, start with the chowder."

Her pout only lasted until she put the first bite in her mouth. It was amazing. And there was a good chance she never would have tasted it if she filled up on cheesecake first. "Holy shit, this is incredible," she moaned.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Daryl replied, snapping his fingers. "Our drink…" he picked up a shaker that was buried in ice and two glasses. "Long Island Ice Tea," he said, handing her the first glass he poured.

"Trying to get me drunk?" she asked, taking a sip of the strong drink. It was delicious, but had a very high alcohol content. Luckily Carol was not a lightweight when it came to drinking.

"Just giving you a taste of what the city has to offer. Cheers," he said, raising his glass. She clinked hers to his and took her second drink. God, it was delicious, she would have to make sure to pace herself or it wouldn't matter how well she could hold her liquor. Too fast could do in the best of em.

The sandwich was amazing too. She was thankful he had known to only get one because she was having trouble even finishing her half, knowing what was for dessert. "Okay, gimme that cheesecake," she said, setting down the last bite and reaching out with grabby hands.

"Sure you're not too full?" He teased, reaching for her last bite and popping it in his mouth.

"I'm eating that cheesecake if you have to roll me out of here," she insisted. "Come on, come on, it's like against the law to withhold cheesecake from a woman."

Carol was practically drooling by the time she got the first bite into her mouth. "Holy fuck," she mumbled with her mouth full. He wasn't lying. She had never had cheesecake like that before. "You need to bring me this every time you come to Georgia. I'm dead serious," she looked at him. "I'm in love with this," she added taking another bite.

Daryl just smiled and watched her eat while he worked on his piece. She moaned, groaned and sighed her way through the huge piece and ate every bite. She was really full, but it was worth it. "That was perfection," she said with one last sigh setting down the fork and tray.

"I couldn't tell," he replied sarcastically. She tossed her wadded up napkin at him. "Better than sex?"

"Hmm," she pondered the question. "Depends on who I'm having sex with," she answered biting her lip and staring at him, rather seductively.

He stood and offered his hand to pull her to her feet. "Take off your clothes," Daryl said, his voice low and sexy.

"Well that escalated fast," she joked. "What's going on?"

Daryl reached behind him and handed her a white robe and a pair of flip flops. "You can change over there behind the screen and I'll change here."

It didn't really answer her question, but she followed his instructions and emerged a few minutes later. She looked at Daryl, wearing the same robe she was and felt her body rush with heat, knowing there was nothing under it. A little tug on the tie and she could see him naked again.

"Come on," he said, walking towards a side door that led outside.

"What? Wait… we're going outside? In robes and sandals? It's freezing out there," she protested.

"Not where we're gonna be," he replied, holding the door. They stepped out and she instantly shivered. But it turned to a different kind of shiver when she saw where they were going. On the roof of a giant building overlooking the city there was a huge steaming hot tub. Daryl pushed the button and the bubbles started. He came over and pulled the tie on her robe, letting it fall open. She didn't even feel the cold, even though she knew you could cut glass with her nipples. Daryl pushed it off her shoulders and left her standing there naked. "Ladies first," he whispered as his eyes washed over her naked body. Carol tugged his robe open and had a quick look at him before turning and slipping into the steaming hot water.


	19. Chapter 19

"Why are you sitting so far away?" Daryl asked. He had joined her in the hot tub and sat down while she admired the view of the city lights. The hot tub had 4 seats so when she sat she took the one across from him still overlooking the city.

"There's a better view from this side," she replied.

"Doubt it," he said, gazing into her eyes. It was still okay to look back, it was just a lusty stare, nothing scary, only exciting. "But I'll come over there anyway," he added, making his way to her side. Daryl found her hands under the water and pulled her into his arms, then spun and sat where she had been, yanking her down onto his lap.

Hot water. Skin on skin... Even with her face and shoulders in the frigid air Carol felt like she was on fire. She took a shaky breath, trying hard to appear calm, and settled into his lap.

"Don't think I've been in a hot tub in a while..." she commented.

"Since that party at Diane's?" he asked, reminding her of a wild night at a mutual friend's place.

"Oh God... I don't even want to think about what happened that night," she groaned. The next day was the worst hangover she'd had since her 21st birthday and too much Tequila. "Was I in the hot tub?" Daryl nodded. "Well hopefully I borrowed a swim suit," she said cringing.

"One of Diane's," he said, nodding again. "Little too big in the..." he gestured to her boobs. Di was more than a little bigger than her in that department. "Drew a lot of guys to the hot tub because every time you leaned forward..."

"Oh for fuck sakes," she muttered. "I knew something was up when Dave blushed the first time he saw me." Carol shook her head. "I was too afraid to ask back then."

"You really don't remember anything about that night?" Daryl looked slightly baffled.

"Uh let's see..." She thought hard. "I remember someone peeing in the closet on one of Diane's favorite pair of shoes... I remember my sweet Maggie thinking she was gonna out drink Tara and passing out in the kitchen... And... Abe... I saw his damn ass far too many times for one lifetime." Ford must have had some sort of bet going on that resulted in him repeatedly mooning people.

"Oh fuck, that's right," Daryl chuckled. "He lost some bet with Shane and had to moon someone every time Rick spoke with his real accent."

"Shit, he didn't know?" Carol snickered. Rick was one of Daryl's closest friends and he always kept his character's thick southern drawl through filming but he had trouble sticking to it when he was drinking.

"Nope, Shane played him good," Daryl said with an amused grin. "But seriously," he continued. "You don't remember anything else about that night?"

"Oh God," Carol moaned. "Just tell me… what did I do? How bad was it? Are people still talking about it?" She had vowed after that night, with all the memory gaps and how sick she was the next day that she was never drinking that much again. And so far she'd stuck to that.

"It wasn't bad," he replied. His voice changed. It was somewhat wistful and that made her even more nervous. "You kissed me."

"What?" Carol gasped. "I what? Are you serious? You're joking. I didn't. Was it a kiss on the

cheek or something? How could I not remember that? You're kidding… come on Daryl, that's not funny." she was rambling. She knew she was rambling. But she couldn't help it. It had to be a joke.

"Nope, it's true," he replied. She knew Daryl was a great actor and could likely pull off an award winning performance if he wanted or needed to. But there was a feeling of genuineness that she just didn't think could possibly be an act. He was serious. The kiss happened. And she'd blacked it out.

"Wow…" she muttered. "Okay, tell me… you obviously remember. So tell me what happened and tell my why you haven't said anything before now." That was the part that was the most confusing. Why hadn't he teased her about it the next day? He hadn't joked or bugged her or mentioned it - at all. And it was months before. Not just a few weeks - Months.

Daryl shrugged, "We were both drunk. I found you out on the porch, on the other side of the house - all alone. You were laying on the deck looking up at the stars and you told me the galaxy was spinning, like you were on the Millennium Falcon doing loops with Han Solo and Chewie." He laughed and got that wistful look again. "I laid down beside you and we started talking about Star Wars. You got all girly on me and told me that your favourite moment was when Leia and Han kissed for the first time." Carol cringed. She usually wasn't that girly with movies, but he was right, that was her favourite scene and she would have only admitted it when she was wasted. "Next thing I knew you rolled over and planted one on me."

"Well fuck," she muttered. "Why would I do that?" She snuck a sheepish look, "How… uh… heated did it get?"

"Oh it was a damn good kiss," he said, sliding a hand up her thigh under the water. "Could have went a lot further if…"

"Oh God… what happened?" she interrupted, needing to know right away.

Daryl leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You puked."

Carol felt her cheeks burning. How humiliating? This was the worst story ever… too bad it was real. She did the only thing she could think to do - she started to laugh. "Shit..I.. didn't puke… on you… did I?" she got out between chuckles.

Daryl shook his head, "Nope, you got up and plastered one of Di's rose bushes."

"Jesus… I need to call her and apologize," she mumbled.

"Don't worry, she probably blamed it on Shane anyway," Daryl said.

Carol took a deep breath and met his eye again, "So why… why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, I didn't know you didn't remember and you didn't say anything… so…" he shrugged again. "We were both drunk…" Daryl licked his lips. "But I thought about it a lot," he said softly, reaching out and tracing a fingertip over her lips. "The way you tasted… how eager you were…" He was staring at her mouth and all she could think about was how badly she wanted to be kissed. "What would have happened if you hadn't…" That heat that was already burning inside her intensified. "Every time I flirted with you the next few weeks I expected it might happen again, but when it didn't I figured you just wanted to forget it."

She didn't need to hear anymore. It happened. It was over. And far more had happened since. If it meant something more to him back then he would have said something, she was sure of it. She tried to ignore the part about Daryl thinking about the kiss - a lot. It was all too confusing, especially when all she wanted was his lips on hers and to feel that hard on, that she knew was under the water, pressing against her until neither one of them could take it any longer and he shoved it into her. That's all she wanted and all she needed right then. "Kiss me," Carol demanded.

She didn't have to ask twice. His lips came crashing down on hers and she shifted into a straddling position. Just as she expected he was hard. It would have been so easy to just sink down on his shaft right then, but she restrained herself, both to make it even better when it was finally time and because he didn't have a condom on. She didn't feel like thinking about the possibility that they might not be able to have sex with the condom in the hot water. She had more important things on her mind like how good his hands felt on her breasts and how delicious his kiss was.

She reached under the water and grasped his shaft. She didn't stroke it, just held it in her hand while they kissed, squeezing lightly every once in a while and enjoying the resulting throb and the way he moaned into her mouth. She knew she was driving him crazy and completely in control… until he slipped a hand between her legs. His probing fingers relinquished her upper hand and Carol felt her grip on him loosening.

"Get the damn condom Daryl," she hissed, unable to wait any longer. She needed him so badly.

"Uh… fuck…" he muttered, looking slightly horrified. "It's in the house in my damn coat."

Carol couldn't wait that long. It would take less than a minute and it was still too long. "Okay, let's discuss… what if we don't use one? What are we dealing with here?"

"Well I sure as hell don't wanna knock you up," he said honestly.

"That's not an issue," she replied, without elaborating.

Daryl shrugged, "You been tested lately?"

"I haven't had sex without protection in… at least 10 years, I promise, I'm good. You?" she replied, hoping to hell her Romeo hadn't been stupid any time lately.

"It's one of the only things I'm actually responsible about," he grinned. "Mostly because I don't need any chicks trying to pawn off their babies on me and I don't trust the ones who say it's fine…"

Carol smiled. "But you trust me?"

"One hundred percent," he breathed, pulling her back into his lap and kissing her again. "So we're good?"

"We're good," she agreed. "Now fuck me." Daryl slipped his hands under her body and stood. He walked her over to the other side of the hot tub, turned her around and leaned her over the edge. Her boobs were exposed to the cold air and her nipples instantly stiffened.

"Keep your eyes open and you can enjoy the view," he grunted into her ear as he shoved his dick into her. The first thing that happened as the relief, bliss and pleasure of finally having him inside washed over her - she closed her eyes, leaned her head back and sighed. "You're missing the view," Daryl whispered, slowly moving in and out of her.

Carol forced her eyes open and looked out over the city. It really was quite spectacular. How many people could actually say they'd been fucked looking out over the bright lights of New York City, at night in the winter? It was so hard to concentrate on the view though, with what was going on behind her. It felt different in the water. A little rougher with the water washing away her body's lubrication. And there was also the lack of the condom that made it different as well. But it wasn't any less incredible with either of the changes. She couldn't wait to do it again, out of the water without the condom so she could really feel him, all of him.

She gripped the edge of the tub, lifting her ass higher and allowing Daryl to push even deeper. He slipped an arm around her body and slipped his hand down her stomach, lower and lower, probing lightly until he found exactly the spot he was looking for. "Oh.." she gasped as his fingers made contact with her swollen clit. There was so much going on she had no idea what to focus on.

"God, your pussy is so tight," he moaned into her ear. Sometimes dirty talk didn't do a thing for her, but the sound of his voice was so sultry and sexy she felt her vagina throb in response, as if her body was begging for more. "And your ass," he groaned. "So fucking sexy." His other hand went from squeezing her cheeks into her ass crack, rubbing her as he continued to fuck her and play with her clit. Even more going on… so much… too much… "I'm gonna fuck this ass one day, you want that don't you?"

Her body shivered. She did want it, more than she thought possible. But it wasn't her thing, so it was totally confusing. "I...I don't know…" she mumbled in response. It was followed by a groan as he sped up his strokes.

"You will," he breathed into her ear. "I won't do it until you're sure… until you want it so bad you're begging for it."

"I don't beg," Carol said, sighing with pleasure. It was a lie. If she wanted something bad enough she wasn't above begging to fulfill her needs.

"We'll see," he whispered. She barely heard him because she was so close and way too focussed on her body. She felt herself jerk and heard a little whimper escape her lips. Carol squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the edge of the hot tub until her knuckles were white. It felt so good to have him still pounding her as she came, making it seem to last even longer.

She didn't even notice at first that he was done because she was still dizzy with the pleasure of her orgasm rippling through her body. It wasn't until he slipped out and kissed her neck that she realized it was over. That was about the same time that she finally noticed the cold again and shivered. Carol slipped back down into the water to get warm. They stayed in the hot tub a little longer, sitting quietly, well as quiet as Daryl could be, and enjoying the soothing jets.

"Probably should head home soon," she said, realizing it was likely getting late and she did have an early morning. He nodded and took her hand to help her out. They quickly slipped back into the robes and headed inside.

"Umm, did we just have sex on the first date?" Daryl teased, once they were back in the greenhouse where it was a little warmer.

"This wasn't a date," she replied. "This was you making up for being an asshole."

"Did I do a good job?" he asked, looking like a little boy with eager eyes. "Am I forgiven?"

As much as she wanted to make him pay even longer Carol didn't have the heart to do it. The night had been magical and she would never forget it. She nodded and smiled at him, "I think I can let it go… on one condition…"

"Name it," he replied immediately.

She bit her lip and grinned before speaking, "You have to call my airport hero and apologize."


	20. Chapter 20

"Oh fine," Daryl muttered. "Get him on the phone."

"What? Right now?" Carol replied, shocked he was being so cooperative.

"Yeah, before it's too late and I have to apologize for waking him up too," He said with a gesture indicating she should just get on with it.

Carol found her phone, scrolled back in her calls and clicked on William's number. He answered on the 3rd ring. "Hey, it's Carol," she started slowly, waiting for his reaction.

"Oh Carol, hi... It's late, is something wrong?" his voice showed nothing more than concern and her heart ached. He really was one of the good ones.

"No, no. I didn't wake you did I?" she asked.

"Nope, just watching the news," he assured her.

"Okay, well the reason I'm calling is because I have someone who wants to talk to you," she chewed her lip, suddenly nervous it was a bad idea.

"Oh... Um... Sure... What about?" he asked curiously.

She looked at Daryl, "I'll just give you to him and let him explain." She handed him her cell and listened.

"Hey man, it's Daryl... Dixon... Yeah it's a pleasure to speak with you as well. But listen, I owe you an apology for the other night... Yes, I absolutely do..." It was surprisingly easy to follow the conversation even though she could only hear Daryl's side. "I'd like to talk more, say sorry in person... You able to meet me tomorrow after work? I'll buy you a drink or two... Sure, that same place you bumped into Carol last week... She can join us when she's done filming." Wait, what? Did Daryl just plan a date? And invite her along too? "Yeah, 530 is perfect. See you then. You too. Bye."

Daryl hung up and passed her the phone, "There, satisfied?"

"Christ, I told you to apologize, not start dating the man," she snapped.

"Don't get all jelly," he replied, moving closer and settling his hands on her hips. "You know Rick is the only boy you have to worry about... And he's married. Married men aren't really my type."

"Did you just say jelly?" she giggled.

"Totes," he replied.

"Okay, bae, methinks you obvi need to spend a little less time with your tweeps. Just sayin'," she teased.

"Wow. Just... Wow," he looked at her sadly. "Here I thought you'd be flailing like a mofo with how internet savvy I am. You wound me. Deeply."

Carol touched his cheek, "Aww muffin, I'm sorry, you're amazeballs, always."

"You love me," he grinned. "I'm dead. Abso-fuckin-lutely dead."

They both laughed and he kissed her quickly. She was thankful he pulled back when he did or they were surely headed for another round. And it was late.

A little while later as they were driving home she thought again about how awkward it was gonna be having drinks with Daryl and William. "I can't believe you planned a date night," she muttered.

Daryl just laughed. "Don't worry baby, you're the one I'm taking home."

When they got to his apartment Carol said her goodnights and headed for bed. She didn't miss the look of disappointment on his face. The horn dog must have been hoping for another quick fuck before bed, she thought with a little grin. Not that the same thought hadn't crossed her mind too, but she had a couple things she wanted to do before bed, including reading over her lines for the next day. She had them down. It was a complete waste of time. But it always made her feel more confident to give them one last read through before shooting.

When she was finished what she needed to do and had read over the script Carol turned out her light and made an attempt to sleep. It didn't go well. All she could think about was fucking Daryl - without a condom. She wanted to know how good it would feel to have him inside her, just him, nothing else, without the distraction of the hot water.

Curiosity got the better of her or maybe it was her raging hormones. She got out of bed, slipped on a shirt that somewhat covered her bare ass, and crept down the hallway. Daryl's door was slightly ajar and she could hear the television. It was pretty clear from the sounds she heard what he was watching. She squirmed and squeezed her legs together to fight the burn, then peeked inside.

What she saw made her heart beat wildly. He was in bed, naked, slowly stroking his dick while he watched some porno on the playboy channel. Was he insatiable or what? Look who's talking, she chastised herself. You're no better. Carol watched him for a minute. There was something so erotic about the fact he had no clue she was there. She licked her lips and swallowed. She was practically salivating in anticipation. Her mouth wasn't the only thing that was watering though. Carol slipped a hand between her legs as she watched him stop and reach for something. He squirted something in his hand and moved back to his cock again.

She smiled. Apparently Daryl liked to lube things up when he played with himself. Well, they certainly weren't going to need anymore when she got in there.

Carol teased her folds, rubbing and probing inside with two fingers. She had to bite back a moan when she brushed her clit. She wanted him. So badly. But how exactly did she want her appearance to go? An evil grin spread across her face. Any chance she got to embarrass him she was certainly going to take.

She shoved open the door and spoke clearly, "Whatcha doing?"

"Carol… fuck," he hissed, looking like a deer in the headlights. She crossed her arms and watched the amusing show. He let go of his cock like it was burning him and grabbed a fistful of his blanket, throwing it into his lap. Then he scrambled for the remote as some blonde porn star was getting fucked by a hot italian looking guy while she was eating out a very busty brunette.

"Relax," Carol laughed. "You think I've never watched a threesome before?" Daryl looked rather stunned as he pressed the power button. "I usually prefer the odds in the woman's favor though," she added with a smirk, walking slowly towards him. When she got to the side of the bed she reached for the blanket and tugged it away, exposing him. "Be a shame to waste that," she said, staring directly at his erection.

The shock and embarrassment of her walking in on him faded quickly. He tugged at the hem of her shirt and lifted it. "Mmm, I was hoping for that." Daryl reached behind her and grabbed her ass. He lightly slapped a cheek. It stung, but felt so good. "This change in plans is… well… unexpected."

"Is it welcome?" she asked, slipping her shirt off and standing naked before him.

"Fuck," he muttered, looking her up and down. "You know you're welcome anytime."

"Good," she said, slipping a leg over his body and straddling him. "Because I didn't plan on leaving until I found out."

"Found out what?" he asked, groaning as she shifted her hips to line him up.

"Found out what it feels like…" she pushed back, taking him inside her. "To ride you til you come." Carol shivered with pleasure. She didn't move, just enjoyed the feel of him filling her up. When she looked down at his face Daryl was smiling. She leaned forward and kissed him. He lifted his hips pushing deeper into her and Carol moaned, breaking the kiss, then started to move, slowly, feeling every inch of him slipping in and out. She was so wet and slippery… and so damn horny… She really did want to ride him, take him over the edge, watch his face as he came, but she suddenly had an even stronger urge to be fucked. Could she change her mind?

"I want to fuck you," Daryl hissed, grabbing her hips. What the hell? How could she possibly be so lucky?

"Okay, if you really want to," she sighed, slipping off him. Daryl practically leapt out from under her, grabbed her legs, pulled her to the edge of the bed and shoved back into her. From that moment until he was lying beside her panting Carol was on a rollercoaster ride of wild, intense, hard fucking… and she loved every second of it. Her orgasm was so intense her body felt like a rag doll afterwards as he continued to pound her. Eventually she was able to focus again and enjoyed the way his muscles rippled and the way his wispy hair flew around with impact. But the best part was when he finally came with a grunt. His face was beautiful, sexy, erotic and blissful all at the same time. Carol realized she could look at that face for… forever.

When her breathing slowed again Carol started to sit up. "Don't go," he said, pulling the blanket over them both. "Sleep here." She started to protest. "Please… please stay," he added sleepily as he slipped an arm around her possessively.

"Okay," she whispered, rolling to her side as he pulled her closer. Carol sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. She felt safe in his arms and it was absolutely terrifying. Luckily she too tired to let the fear keep her up and instead she let the security lull her to sleep.

"Carol, wake up," a voice whispered in her ear. She groaned and stretched as Daryl nuzzled her face. When she opened her eyes she saw he was already dressed. "I let you sleep as long as I could, but you gotta shower now or you're gonna be late. I'll make you something to eat on the way." She glanced at the clock and jumped out of bed, flying from his room to hers to gather her things to shower.

"Let's go," she said 20 minutes later, running down the hall for the door and slipping on her boots and coat. Carol hated being late, but she really was thankful for the little extra sleep.

Daryl handed her a coffee and followed her out the door. Somehow he got her to work on time. "So I'll see you at the bar after you're done, okay?"

"Oh, ugh," she groaned. "I was hoping that was a bad dream."

"Its gonna be fine," he laughed. "See you later Toots."

"Toots," she scoffed shutting the door with a smile and heading into work.

The day passed quickly, but when it was time to quit she was informed they would be working a couple hours overtime. Carol was never so happy to work late. She was grinning like crazy as she dialed Daryl to break the bad news. "Hey, I have to stay until 8. Can you just pick me up here?"

"You hiding a horseshoe up that sweet ass?" he teased, knowing she wanted out of the meeting with William anyway.

"Enjoy your date Toots," she replied with a giggle. "See you at 8."

Daryl was waiting for her, right on time, but as she approached he climbed out of the Jeep and handed her the keys. "You should drive," he said.

On the way home she quickly found out that he wasn't drunk, but he'd had a lot to drink and he thought that William was the cat's ass. Apparently they were new besties. Daryl kept going on and on - Billy this… Billy that. "Billy? Seriously?" Carol shook her head and rolled her eyes. "So I take it he's not upset with you?"

"Nah, it's all good now," Daryl said.

"What does he… what did you tell him… about us?" Carol asked, scared of the answer.

"Don't look so panicked," he scoffed. "I'm not an idiot." She gave him a look. "Okay, not all the time. I told him that we're good friends and I got a bit over protective, like a big brother…"

"Christ, you and your brother-sister thing," she mumbled.

"What? Incest was common at one time," he grinned. She parked in the garage and they made their way up to the apartment. "I bought you something today," Daryl announced from the kitchen as Carol was undoing her boots.

"You did?" she said curiously, wandering into the kitchen to join him.

"Yep," Daryl replied, presenting her with some papers. "Late flight, tomorrow night." She looked at the papers and realized he'd bought her plane tickets to go to the con with him.

"Daryl," she looked up at him sadly. "I can't… I can't accept this…"

"Come on," he protested. "Please?" He dropped to his knees and looked up at her. "Please?" he said again, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her belly. He was begging. Daryl was begging her to go.

She touched his hair, stroking it gently. "Hey," she said softly. "Come with me for a minute." Carol held out a hand to help him up, then continued to hold it as she led him to her room. "I want to show you something," she added, pulling out her phone.

She opened her email and handed him the phone. "I can't accept your ticket… because I already bought one of my own." Carol pointed to a backpack in the corner. "I'm not flying out until Friday morning, but I'm packed." Daryl looked like a little kid at Christmas - it was adorable. "I'm only staying one night," she added sternly. "One night." He nodded and grabbed her, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. "I can't believe you thought we could go on the same flight," she said, when he set her down.

Daryl shrugged. "Thought you might want to join the mile high club on the way there."

"Ha," she snorted. "What makes you think I'm not already a member? Multiple times even..."

"Fuck, I love you," he teased. It wasn't a serious I love you by any means. But it hung in the air and lingered in her mind for far longer than it should have.


	21. Chapter 21

_Try not to miss me too much tonight_ , Daryl's words from hours earlier rang in her ears the second she walked into the empty apartment.

She replayed the entire conversation. _Ha, I'm going to enjoy every second of the peace and serenity_ , Carol had replied.

 _Don't worry, I'll call you later. You'll be ready to hear my charming voice by then, I know it,_ he'd teased her.

She had rolled her eyes at him and he'd given her one of his sexiest smiles. _Just text me when you land safe_. Carol was a bit of a worrier and she always felt better when she knew he was safe on the ground again. They had sat there looking at one another for a while, double parked in front of the building where she worked. A cop could have come along any second and shooed Daryl away but she had made no move to get out of the car and he'd made no indication that he was ready to leave. From the corner of her eye Carol had seen the continuous stream of people walking by and knew, even in the car, they were in the public eye.

 _I really want to kiss you right now_ , Daryl had said, his eyes drifting to her mouth. Carol could still distinctly hear his groan when she'd darted out her tongue to wet her lips, then lightly bit her bottom lip, staring at him innocently. _You'd better stop teasing me, because I care far less than you do who sees us_ , he'd warned.

Carol couldn't help but flirt back a little, _You had your chance first thing this morning. I really thought you were gonna join me in the shower._

 _Fuck_ , he'd grumbled. _I almost did_. Daryl had looked at her with a pout.

Carol had given him a little shrug. _Gotta go_ , she'd said giving him an evil grin before reaching over and boldly grabbing his package. She'd rubbed him briefly, knowing her touch, even fleeting, was gonna leave him half hard. _See you tomorrow night._ With that she'd released him and started out of the car, squealing when he pinched her ass in retaliation. Both their intimate acts had been out of sight, but if anyone had seen the flush on her face as she waved goodbye they would have known something was up.

She'd composed herself on the way inside and threw herself into her work for the day, pushing the encounter out of her mind. But now that she was inside the apartment, facing the prospects of dinner alone, she was definitely missing the company. Carol was very used to spending huge chunks of time alone, one evening shouldn't be a big deal - but it was.

She made her dinner and called a good friend back home. Of course Carol didn't mention anything about living with Daryl while she worked in New York since any time she mentioned a guy her friend perked up and she got excited about the prospects of a wedding in the near future. If she knew she'd been living with Daryl since she arrived in New York her bestie would be starting the seating plan.

By the time she hung up she was finished eating. Carol looked around the living room and saw him everywhere. "Well duh," she muttered out loud. "It is his fucking house." She was feeling rather annoyed with her pining and decided to rationalize it. Carol realized that she hadn't spent this much time with anyone in a very long time. There were long days on set at work when she was filming, but she'd always went home alone at night. She drove to work alone, she went home alone, and she slept alone. Now, here in New York, she had Daryl in the morning, she had him in the evenings after work… and there had even been those couple nights she had him beside her while she slept. The baffling part of the whole thing was not only that she missed him, but why she wasn't feeling suffocated?

She should be enjoying the freedom, just like she told him she was going to. But one more look around and she knew it wasn't going to happen. Carol turned on the TV for a distraction and some background noise and started to browse social media on her phone. She had barely made a dent in scrolling through her twitter notifications when her phone started to buzz with an incoming call. It was Daryl. She hadn't heard a thing from him other than a quick text when he landed. She took a deep breath to calm the giddiness and answered, "Hey."

"Hi. What's up? Am I interrupting anything?" he asked in his usual flirty tone.

"Yep," Carol replied without elaborating.

"Really?" he sounded surprised, which was both cute and annoying. "What are you doing?"

"Are you trying to initiate that phone sex thing again?" Carol sighed dramatically.

"No…" he started. "Well… not unless you want to?"

"Maybe some other time," she laughed.

"Seriously," he persisted. "What was I interrupting? Are you naked?"

"Stop," she giggled.

"What? You're the one who said you were gonna walk around naked," he chuckled. "Listen, before you admit you're in the buff and this conversation completely derails… I need you to do me a favor."

"Oh geez… I can't wait to hear what this is gonna be," she teased.

"It's actually something serious for once," Daryl chuckled. "Can you go in my room? I need you to get something and bring it to me tomorrow."

Carol started to wander towards his room. "Okay… what do you need?" she asked when she was inside. She tried to ignore the flashes of memories of what had happened in the bed in front of her, but it was no use. In a matter of seconds the images were so vivid she could almost feel him touching her. Daryl said something, but she was too distracted to hear him. "Uh…pardon?" she muttered.

"The drawer in the nightstand beside my bed," he said each word slowly in a tone that told her he was wondering what was up with her. "There's a box of Nicotine patches. I only have one for tomorrow but I need a couple more to get me through the weekend." Carol pulled open the drawer and silently took a couple out of the box. "Don't judge me," he muttered. "It's the only way I can make it through the day with only a couple breaks for a smoke."

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "You know… you could actually use these to try and quit…"

Carol could practically see him rolling his eyes. "I suppose I could… someday… when I'm ready," he replied. His tone was neutral, which relieved her. She was never one to harp on him for his smoking, he had enough people who did that. It didn't bother her in the sense that he smelled like smoke because Daryl was always careful to cover up the smell by smoking outside, chewing gum, etc. Of course she worried about what it was doing to him health wise, but Carol was a realist and she knew no one could force him to stop - it was up to him.

Before she shut the drawer something caught her eye. "Daryl... is this… a journal?" she asked lifting out a large black notebook.

"Put that back," he said quickly.

"What? Why?" she teased, dying to open it up. "We don't have secrets from each other, do we?"

"Carol… you won't understand… don't open it…" Daryl sounded quite freaked out, which piqued her curiosity even more. If he insisted she wasn't allowed to open it Carol would respect his privacy, but she was damn sure gonna try to get him to let her look.

"Oh come on, what is it? And what won't I understand?" she pushed.

Daryl sighed. "It's something I've been working on for a long time. An art project. But Carol… it may never happen… and you won't… you just won't get it…"

"I love your art," she replied, unable to accept that there was something artistic that she wouldn't understand.

"Look if you want," he said, letting out a long breath. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Carol opened the cover slowly. "Oh…" she gasped. On the first page there was a photo of a woman sleeping. The covers were partially covering her body, but you could see a breast and the full length of one leg that was not covered by the sheet. The strange thing was… it didn't look posed at all. It was a woman sleeping. It was completely natural. And even with the nudity it wasn't uncomfortable, it was, well… quite beautiful. The woman was most likely a model with those long legs and lean body. But it didn't look like a model posing for a photoshoot, it just looked like a pretty girl sleeping.

She quickly flipped a couple more pages and realized the book was filled with similar photos. The women were all in bed. And they were all asleep. It wasn't until she recognized one that something struck her. She was staring at the sleeping form of one of Daryl's exes - a woman she'd actually met a couple times. "Daryl... what is this?" she started slowly. "These women… are they all… women you've slept with?" Carol felt a bit sick to her stomach. "Is this like some sort of scrapbook of woman you've fucked?"

"No," he said sharply. "No…" he voice softened. "It's not like that at all. Please Carol, I'm a pervert and an asshole sometimes, but I'm not like that. I'm not that disgusting."

"Then what is it?" she asked, closing the book and putting it back. "Something you pull out to jerk off to?"

"Fuck, no," he hissed. "I told you, it's an art project. An idea I had several years ago… So I've been collecting pieces for it."

Carol felt goosebumps prickle her body. "I don't… I don't understand."

She could hear him suck in a breath. "Are you still looking at it?" he asked. "If not, take it out and open it to the first photo."

With a slightly shaky hand she reached for the book and opened it to the first woman she'd seen. "Okay…"

"Tell me what you see," Daryl said gently.

Carol studied the picture and admitted exactly what she'd noticed the first time. "It looks natural. She's sleeping. She's a peace. And she's beautiful."

"Flip to another one and tell me what you see," Daryl instructed.

Carol skipped a couple of pages and looked at the blonde woman with her hair messy, no makeup, a half smile of blissful content on her lips. "Same thing," she replied. "She looks relaxed, calm, happy even." Speaking the words out loud to him Carol quickly realized what the project was about and she instantly felt like an ass for doubting him.

"I took a picture of my girlfriend sleeping a really long time ago. When things got bad between us or when I was mad at her… I just looked at that photo and saw her in such an innocent moment…" his voice trailed off. "It reminded me of what was truly on the inside, even when we were screaming at one another." Carol felt goosebumps again, but for a very different reason. "None of them know I took their picture," he admitted. "I've never told them. If I wanted to do the photography show I would have to contact them all and get permission…"

"Oh, awkward…" Carol jumped in.

"Exactly," Daryl replied. She knew it wasn't just the fact the woman didn't know, but the fact he would have to track them down and talk to them in the first place when many of the breakups didn't even leave them on speaking terms. "But, I've continued to collect the photos in case… someday… I get the balls to go for it."

Carol realized that she now knew a secret about him that no one else knew. He'd trusted her with the knowledge of something intimate and special - something that was potentially embarrassing, something he hadn't believed she would even understand. Yet he trusted her still. "Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you for letting me look."

"Thank you for understanding," he replied, just as softly. There was a moment of silence as they both took time to ponder what had just happened. "Carol," he interrupted the silence. "Sleep in my bed tonight, please?"

"Oh… um… why?" she asked, not agreeing or disagreeing.

"I'd love to say it was something completely perverted," he laughed. "But… it just makes me feel closer to you knowing you're in my space." Daryl was missing her that badly? The realization was too overwhelming to think about.

"Okay," she agreed, opting not to tease him or crack a joke. It was a sweet sentiment and it just didn't feel right to poke fun at him for it.

"Thanks," Daryl said. "I guess I should probably go. But Carol… my camera is on the dresser. I recently took my very favourite photo yet. Please promise you won't delete it, okay?"

"I promise," she whispered. "Night Daryl. See you tomorrow." After hanging up she made a beeline for the dresser and turned on the camera. Even though she had a damn good idea of what she was going to find Carol was still shocked to see the photo of herself. Just like one of the last photos she'd looked at in his book there was a tiny smile on her lips. It was weird to see herself like that. She was very good at looking at people, at reading their faces and getting a glimpse into their thoughts. If she analyzed the woman she was looking at right there in the viewfinder of the camera she would say that she looked perfectly content, like she hadn't a care in the world, maybe even a bit euphoric… which wasn't too surprising given that she knew what this woman had done hours before the photo.

The part that was difficult to wrap her mind around was the reason she looked that way in the photo. It was difficult to admit it was because of him. It was difficult to admit that it wasn't just because of the sex, as good as it had been. It was so much more and that left her absolutely terrified once again when she looked away. But a glance back at the camera in her hands and she was reminded that when her guard was completely down… when she didn't have the opportunity to shield her thoughts or emotions… she was perfectly content. She was peaceful, happy, and zen… with him - with Daryl. But what the hell did that mean?


	22. Chapter 22

"What the… umm… Ma'am…" Carol heard Daryl's confused voice as he opened the door and stepped into his hotel room where she was waiting. "I think you're in the wrong… Oh," he said as she turned around and he realized what was going on.

"Daryl, there's a lonely blonde woman in your room and you're trying to send her away?" Carol teased, fluffling the wig she was wearing. "You really have changed."

He walked over to her with a smile and tugged the wig off her head. He lightly ruffled her short hair and pulled her into his arms. "Why would I want a blonde when I've been counting the seconds until you would be here?"

"Oh stop, I know you. You'd finish off the blonde and be ready and waiting for whoever is next," she replied, shaking her head. It wasn't that she liked to think or talk about Daryl being with other women while they were… well… doing whatever it was they were doing. But it was the reality of the situation. There wasn't anything exclusive about their relationship and it would be silly for her to believe Daryl had only been with her. Especially when he was away at a con. She had no doubt there was something young and leggy in his bed late the night before, after they'd finished their conversation.

There was a strange look on his face that she couldn't quite read. "Hmm… perhaps," he replied, not giving anything away. Carol assumed it was to spare her feelings. He likely thought she would be upset that he'd been fucking other women in between their encounters.

"It doesn't bother me," she said, feeling like she needed to clear things up. "I'm a realist - you know that."

"Would it bother you if I said I haven't been with anyone but you since our first time?" Daryl asked, before leaning in to kiss her neck.

His mouth on her skin was so damn distracting. Carol had to focus on what he'd just said for a moment before she replied. "It wouldn't bother me, but I'd call you a liar," she said, sighing as his hands trailed up and down her back.

"I would never lie to you," he replied with a stupid grin. She couldn't read the smile and had no idea if it meant he was joking or serious about what he said earlier. "Have you?" he asked.

"Have I what?" she responded. "Have I been with any other guys?" Was he serious? What did it matter if she had? And besides, he already knew the answer because he knew her. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to Pookie," she replied flirtatiously, deciding to tease him. His eyes flashed. It wasn't the response she'd been expecting. Why was he so damn confusing these days? Carol snorted, "You're jealous." She took a step back and crossed her arms.

"I am," he admitted, walking towards her as she backed away. "And… you…" he spoke slowly as she continued to walk backwards. "Love…it…" Daryl said as she bumped into something and realized she was likely trapped. She glanced behind her and saw she was pinned against the dresser. Her heart was pounding in anticipation of his next move. "I want you," he growled attacking her lips. "Been thinking about you all day," Daryl added, as he broke away breathless. "All the things I want to do to you tonight…" He kissed her again and Carol melted against him. Whatever he wanted… she would give it to him.

Or maybe she would just tell him what she wanted. Yes, that was a much better plan because she knew exactly what she wanted in that moment - quick, dirty and hard fucking. She was craving him like a drug and she needed a hit - a fix, immediately. "The things you want to do can wait," she said, meeting his eye with a bold stare. "Right now, you're going to turn me around, bend me over this dresser and fuck me like you mean it." Daryl looked slightly stunned. "Don't make me repeat myself," she added.

He didn't. Daryl spun her and gently bent her over the dresser, just like he was told. Carol felt her skirt pushed up and her panties pulled down. Every second she waited felt like an eternity as he undid his pants and readied himself. Then he was in her and it was everything she needed it to be. He fucked her so hard she had to brace herself, but it wasn't painful, not at all - it was necessary for them both. Carol realized right away how much he'd truly been wanting her. She allowed herself to believe he really hadn't been with anyone else in the time they'd been apart, but only for a moment. Was that the way she wanted it to be? Did it matter to her? Carol wasn't sure, and she was far too preoccupied to think hard about it right then.

She came - far quicker than she normally would, but she wasn't the only one. Daryl was right behind her. It was definitely a quickie for them both. Once again she wondered if he was telling her the truth. Carol knew there wasn't always a specific reason for a man to orgasm quickly, could have been heightened arousal, but often it was because it's been a while… Perhaps missing almost 2 days was long enough to make him… Carol cut off her thoughts. It was stupid to go there. As she gathered herself and put her clothing back in place she decided it didn't matter - at least not for the time being.

When she turned around Daryl was holding her wig in his hand studying it with a strange look. "Let's go out," he said suddenly, with a youthful grin. "With this and your sunglasses… no one would recognize you."

Carol laughed, "I can't wear sunglasses, it's night."

He pulled his out and put them on. "I do it all the time, especially in the clubs with strobes and stuff." Daryl moved the glasses to the top of his head. "Come on, we can just go to a bar, grab a booth and have a few drinks. I'll bring a couple bodyguards. They'll make sure no one gets close to us and keep the photographers as far away as possible."

The thought of them being photographed made her really nervous. But the wig really made her look insanely different. No one knew she was in town. Her close fan followers would assume she was in New York filming like she'd told them on Twitter. And it really would be fun to hit the town incognito… "Okay," she replied. "But, we're not arriving or leaving together. You tell me what bar we're going to and I'll meet you there."

"Ohhhh so I get to hit on you and pick you up?" he looked excited.

"I just might play hard to get Dixon," she flirted back. "Bring your A game."

He laughed. "Be gentle with me. I don't usually have to do much work these days." Carol rolled her eyes at the truth of the statement. He wasn't even being cocky - just honest.

"Bout time you got some practice, don't ya think?" she teased him.

"Oh trust me, you've been giving me practice for years," he sighed. Before she had a chance to let her thoughts linger on that statement he moved on. "Okay, there's a bar two blocks from here called Pints. It's close, but promise you'll take a cab… never know what kind of assholes are on the streets at night." Carol wanted to protest, but he was right and she was a chicken anyway, so she would take the embarrassingly short cab ride and tip the cabby well. "It's a small place and I was told it's never super busy because there's a nightclub on the next block that everyone goes to." Carol nodded indicating she understood the plan. "I'll get my guys and meet you there."

Carol tried to ignore the strange look the cab driver gave her when she told him where she was going. But what did he care anyway? It was money. When he pulled up at the bar in less than a minute Carol handed him a $20 and got out. It was at least a $15 tip, but she didn't care. She touched the hair sitting on her shoulders, fluffing it a bit. If she had long hair this definitely wouldn't have been her style, but then again it would have taken hours of straightening to get rid of her curls for the look she was sporting. She took a deep breath and headed into the bar. Without Daryl by her side she had absolutely no fears of being recognized and honestly, it wasn't likely she would be identified - even with him. But there was still a chance and her tummy fluttered with nerves.

Carol walked in, glanced around and headed for the far end of the bar where no one was sitting anywhere close. Daryl had been correct, the bar was fairly quiet, at least for the time being. She only had to wait about 10 minutes before Daryl arrived. She'd ordered a martini and the bartender brought it as he was making his way in her direction. Carol picked it up and took a sip, pretending she had no idea he was approaching. "This seat taken?" he asked.

"Depends who's asking," she replied sweetly, turning on her stool to look at him. "Hmm, I suppose you can sit," Carol added with a smile. Daryl ordered a beer and the bartender brought it quickly. He took a long haul on the bottle and set it down in front of him. "What's your name, Handsome?" Carol flirted.

He smirked, but replied. "Daryl," he said extending his hand. She placed her hand in his and he brought it to his lips. "And you?"

"Hmm… Let's go with Kelly for now, but if you play your cards right you might get to know the real me later," Carol picked up the stick from her martini and seductively put the olive in her mouth and chewed slowly.

Daryl leaned in, "Thought you were gonna make me work for it?"

"Fuck off," Carol hissed. "I'm apparently easy."

He snickered. "So... Kelly… would you like to join me in that booth at the very back?"

"Daryl… you know what happens in those back booths in dark bars late at night…" She gave him a shocked look at first, then smiled. "Of course I would love to join you, sounds like my kind of place."

By the time they were settled in the booth with their drinks, dinner on the table in front of them, the charade had fallen away. Daryl's guards were sitting close, ready to move in if necessary but so far things had been quiet and Carol's nerves had completely subsided. She was enjoying being out in public with him. Even if she was in disguise she was still Carol and he knew that so it was all that mattered.

After they finished eating and the plates were cleared away they ordered another drink and started chatting again. "So how was the con?" she asked.

"Eh, the usual," he shrugged. "Fun, entertaining… exhausting."

"But you love it," she said with a smile. Cons were terrifying for her, but Daryl was the complete opposite. He flourished interacting with the fans and they ate it up. He wasn't always that way. For a while he actually refused to do them. But as he grew in the business and learned to talk to people he gave it a try and found out he was great at it.

"You know your lines are gonna be as long as mine before too long, right?" he said with a smile.

Carol shook her head, "Never."

"Never say never. People love you - if you'll let them," he added, giving her a strange look that sent shivers down her spine. He was acting weird again and the butterflies in her tummy returned. "You know, I'm not much a fan of the music that's been playing, but… I do like this song. Any chance you'll dance with me?" Carol recognized the song immediately - Take it to the Limit by the Eagles. There was a dance floor with a few couples swaying to the music on the far side of the room. Daryl slid out of the booth and offered her a hand.

"Can we just… dance here?" she asked, not wanting to attract attention by heading to the dance floor, but she did want to dance with him. Carol extended her hand and he helped her to her feet, then pulled her right into his arms.

She melted against his chest and enjoyed the feel of his strong arms holding her as they moved slowly. Carol could honestly say she had never expected to be dancing with Daryl, in a bar in Portland that evening or any evening really. But damn, it felt so good. She was such a private person, but there was something special and a bit exciting about dancing in public, where people could see them.

Daryl was rubbing her lower back, just barely above her ass. As if that wasn't enough to drive her crazy every once in a while he would nuzzle her cheek and it reminded her how close his lips were. God she wanted to kiss him so badly. But she knew they couldn't risk it and she also knew if they kissed it would only leave her wanting even more. When the song ended he pulled back and looked at her. He wanted to kiss her too, it was obvious. Daryl started to inch towards her and she was frozen in place. It was a bad idea but she certainly didn't have the ability to stop him.

Before their lips met she heard a commotion. "I told you I saw him. I told you he was here," a young voice said excitedly. It was followed by a bunch of girly squeals and suddenly a group of young women were yelling at Daryl.

Carol looked in horror as the bar started to fill up - quickly. They had to go. Right away. Daryl knew it. He dug for his wallet and threw a wad of cash on the table as his bodyguards started to control the crowd that had formed. This was just the type of insanity that Carol couldn't deal with. It was terrifying and she felt her anxiety rising. Just as she was about to panic she felt Daryl slip his hand into hers and squeeze. He leaned in and whispered, "I'm so sorry. But it's gonna be fine. I've got you." He knew she was freaking the fuck out and was trying to reassure her.

They started to make their escape, huddled behind the bodyguards as they pushed through the crowd. This is what the woman who steals Daryl's heart has is store for her lifetime, Carol thought, trying to ignore the screaming, camera flashing and the shoving. She felt sorry for that imaginary woman. Who could handle a life where this was the norm?

But even with the fear and anxiety swirling inside her Carol realized that she'd had an amazing time that evening and she wouldn't have missed it - even knowing now how it ended. By that point Daryl was holding her protectively against him, shielding her face from the cameras. She couldn't see where she was going, so she simply clung to him, allowing him to guide her and trusting he would keep her safe. No matter what situation they were in Daryl always made her feel safe and she couldn't think of another person she knew that compared to how she felt with him. When they were finally secure in the back seat of the car with the bodyguards in the front Daryl put his arm around her shoulders and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Carol knew it was an apology and she didn't want him to feel bad at all. "It's okay," she said, leaning against him. "I still had fun… but," she added with a whisper. "You can make it up to me... in the room, if you want..."


	23. Chapter 23

When they were finally in Daryl's room Carol breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know how you deal with that," she muttered, taking a long deep breath.

"I'm gonna be honest," he admitted. "That bothered me, a lot."

"It did?" Carol was shocked. "Why? I figured you'd be used to it. Nothing scares you."

"I am used to it, but you're not," He said, moving closer to her. "I could see how anxious you were and it was my fault… My idea to go out… I'm so sorry." He paused.

She was truly touched by his concern, but it wasn't necessary. She didn't blame him at all. "No need to be sorry. I agreed to go and we couldn't plan for that to happen." His face didn't change, he was beating himself up over what happened and it was the last thing she wanted. "Hey, stop," she said in a tone that he couldn't help but pay attention to. "It's not on you. It's over. I'm fine. Let it go." He nodded, but not convincingly so she tried another approach.

"Okay fine, it was allllllll your fault, but you said you were gonna make it up to me, so…" She stepped into his arms and breathed into his ear, "I'm ready." Daryl pulled back and looked at her. He had that strange look in his eyes again, but Carol chalked it up to lingering concern for her well being. "You want me to leave the wig on?" she teased. "Maybe you were looking for a blonde tonight."

"Nope," he replied, releasing her to pull it off and toss it aside. "Much better," he said with a smile. "You're the only one I was looking for."

Carol narrowed her eyes, "What's wrong with you?" He was acting so strangely and she just couldn't place it.

"Does flattery ever work with you?" Daryl shook his head. "I'm complimenting you. Deal with it." Oh so that's what it was, a compliment. He enjoyed having sex with her and was willing to put off the possibility of others while she was there. That's all. But she could have swore there was more to it. Maybe he was just being extra attentive because he begged her to come. Yeah, that's likely it, Carol decided.

"You know flattery makes me all squirmy," she replied. "Not all of us enjoy being the center of attention."

"Well that was a cheap shot," Daryl grinned. "I can't help it if I'm loved."

"Loved, worshipped, stalked, obsessed over…" she muttered.

Daryl grabbed her and pulled her flush against him as she giggled. "Tonight I wanna love, worship, stalk and obsess over… you," he whispered in her ear, walking her backwards towards the bed. Before he could say another word Carol attacked his lips with a hungry kiss.

He responded, just as eagerly, but his kiss didn't have the same lusty edge that hers did and Carol picked up on it right away. She knew this time wasn't going to be anything like it was earlier when she first arrived in his room. She was all for changing things up… but when she drew back and realized he had that damn look again… she felt the panic start to rise. The one thing she hated more than anything was when she couldn't figure someone out. She knew Daryl. She knew him inside and out. She knew all his quirks and his faults and she adored him despite of them. She knew all the good, all his talents - well, now more than ever she realized with the new aspect to their friendship, and everything he was proud of. But this look on his face was so damn perplexing.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Fuck, that made her even more upset because he could clearly read her still. "Are you still upset about the mob?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Carol shook her head and smiled at him. Forget it. Quit over thinking, she told herself. Have fun - that's what this thing is all about. She reached for his shirt and they started to undress one another in turn. She was fine as long as she didn't look at him so Carol kept her eyes thoroughly distracted, which wasn't too difficult when Daryl was standing naked in front of her.

He moved her to the middle of the bed and it began. It wasn't at all like any other time they'd been together. There was that one other time that he was a bit different, but she'd figured that out and pushed it out of her mind. But what was happening was something on an entirely different level. It felt like… well, it felt like… he was… in love with her. When that thought entered her mind Carol went from terror to almost laughing out loud. What a stupid idea.

Daryl was just so completely different from any other man she'd ever been with. That's what it was. He was something unique and special. He had the ability to make a woman feel sexy one time and make her feel loved another. Ugh, Carol grumbled internally. She already promised herself she was gonna stop overthinking, yet her she was again, lost in her mind while Daryl was worshipping her body and she should have been enjoying every second of it.

He could tell. Carol realized that when he popped up from between her legs and gave her a strange look, then delicately kissed each of her hip bones before going back to what he was doing. This time she let herself go and focussed on how good his tongue felt, probing her and gently teasing her clit. He was delicate, yet extremely thorough and before long Carol had her hands on his head, her fingers twisted in his long hair, begging for everything he had.

She arched her back, lifting her hips off the bed, and squirming, trying to get every last little bit he had to give before it was over. Daryl flicked his tongue quickly over and over… and with one final shudder she exploded. Once again she was complete putty in his hands. It didn't matter what Daryl showed up - he always took her over the edge just like she wanted and needed.

Normally he would have been inside her, fucking her, taking what he needed before she even had a chance to recover, but instead when Carol opened her eyes he was lying beside her, holding her, caressing her body and watching her. Fuck, and there it was again… the look. She had to make it go away so she did the only thing she could think of - she took over.

Carol shoved him to his back and quickly got on top. The only disadvantage of her new plan was that she had to look at him and she wasn't ready to look at him. So she threw her head back and rode him. She didn't have to pretend it felt good because it did feel good, really good. But she did perhaps play it a little more dramatic than necessary to make the lack of eye contact believable.

Carol pressed her hands down on his hips, using his body for leverage as she grinded on him, taking him deep and rubbing her clit against his pelvis for extra pleasure. Daryl groaned and she smiled, opening her eyes and risking a look. His eyes were closed, she was safe and by the look on his face she was doing a really good job.

By working herself to a second orgasm she took Daryl over the edge with her. But her body was exhausted and sheened with sweat as she collapsed beside him. They were both silent, but the attentiveness Daryl had displayed earlier had returned. He was gently grazing her body with his fingertips, seemingly enjoying touching her even though her skin was damp.

"You said something tonight," Daryl spoke, breaking the silence. "Earlier you said nothing scares me. That's not true."

Carol smiled, his response was bound to be something crazy, but she asked anyway, "What scares you?"

"You," he said. Carol felt the smile melt off her face. "I'm terrified you're gonna break my heart."

"Wha… what do you mean?" Carol stammered as her blood started to boil inside her veins - always the first signs of a panic attack for her.

"How can you not know?" Daryl replied, shaking his head. "You've always been able to read me," he mumbled. "So if you can't see it, it has to mean you don't want to."

"What are you talking about?" Carol said, taking a deep breath to calm her anxiety and sitting up to look at him. "What don't I want to see?"

"That I'm in love with you," he said simply, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. But it wasn't simple for her. Carol's world was reeling, spinning, spiralling out of control. She felt dizzy and she couldn't see, couldn't speak. "Jesus, is it that terrifying? Am I that terrifying?"

When she got her focus what she saw just about broke her heart. Daryl's face was etched in pain. She was hurting him. She didn't want to hurt him. He didn't deserve it. She couldn't bear seeing that look on his face. "No…" she mumbled. "It's not you…" her voice trailed off. But it was him. He was the problem. Daryl was the problem because this wasn't him. This wasn't the Daryl she knew. The Daryl she knew was a huge flirt. He loved sex and had one night stands. He slept with a lot of woman - more than she even wanted to know about. He wasn't looking to settle down or fall in love… but somehow, apparently, he had. And now it was on her. "How did this happen?" she whispered.

Daryl smiled. God, his smile was so beautiful and it made her heart ache in a completely different way. "I don't fall in love easily," he started. "I don't. I've avoided it for years." Carol looked at his face and into his eyes. Now she knew what that look was and it wasn't terrifying anymore, but still scary. She knew he was right about one thing. She hadn't wanted to see it because she couldn't fathom the possibility of it being true. "When I do fall though… I fall hard," he admitted. "And well… I've fallen for you," he said, reaching for her hand. Carol let him take it and enjoyed the comfort of his touch, even within such a strange situation. "Tell me there's a chance for us…"

Carol met his eyes and she spoke honestly and from the heart. "This is a lot for me to take in all at once and I'm gonna need some time to think…" Daryl nodded, maybe a little too eagerly and she smiled. "But… I think… I think there might be…a chance..." She leaned forward and kissed him, wondering how the hell this craziness was gonna work? But as his tongue brushed hers and she melted into the kiss anything seemed possible.


	24. Chapter 24

Daryl picked at the last of his room service and thought about that morning. It had been the best wake up call and shower of his life. By the time he was fully alert Carol's naked body was snuggled up to his back, her hand was wrapped firmly around his rock hard cock and she was stroking him. Her touch was so incredible if he just gave in and enjoyed it thoroughly he could easily blow his load in no time at all. When she touched him like that he had to fight with his body, focus less on how good it felt and more on something else, anything else, to keep himself from prematurely ejaculating.

Carol was the first woman he'd been with that actually jerked him off better than he did himself. Maybe it was the way he felt about her that made it feel even more incredible, or maybe she just really had perfected her hand job skills, but either way - nothing compared.

That particular instance was heightened even more by the fact that he hadn't been expecting it - at all. After his admission the night before Carol had made it clear that she needed some time to think things through. He was actually quite surprised by her complete ignorance of his feelings for her. It wasn't that Daryl had gone out of his way to make it perfectly clear, but more the fact that she knew him so well he just assumed she would pick up on it, even when he did try to downplay and hide the truth. The fact that Carol was asking for time to mull over his declaration made him assume there wouldn't be anymore intimacy between them until she had the time she needed and they talked again.

Boy was he wrong. Carol had to catch her flight about the same time he needed to be at the con, so Daryl figured he would let her shower and get ready first and then take his turn next. But it was pretty clear she had other plans and she whispered those plans in his ear while she slowly moved her hand up and down his cock. Daryl could barely hold himself together, especially when phrases like 'bend me over, bury your dick in my pussy, and fuck me hard' were coming from her sweet and sassy little mouth.

Their usual quick morning showers turned into a lengthy joint-shower fuck fest. Daryl could still hear the sounds coming from her, echoing in the shower stall, as he pounded her from behind. The hot water was washing over their bodies, splashing in his face as he slapped against her over and over. Every time he thought he was in control she surprised him. The one time she pulled away from him, turned, dropped to her knees and took his dick into her mouth Daryl thought for sure he was done. But somehow she knew just when to stop and give him enough of a break to continue. The same tongue that had been swirling around the tip of his cock and licking his nuts ended up hot and warm in his mouth only seconds later. And only seconds after that he was back inside her, Carol's legs around his waist, as he fucked her against the ceramic tile shower wall. She gasped when the cold tiles contacted her back and as she did she arched and pressed harder against him, taking his dick even further inside her. Daryl felt his legs go weak but somehow found the strength to hold her up and finish.

The echoes of the cries she'd made as she came were still swirling in his mind as Daryl pushed the tray away. Somehow he'd made it through the entire day at the con, but the second he walked back into the empty hotel room memories of her consumed him. He missed her. Not just the sex her. He missed everything about her. The way she smelled. The sound of her voice and her laugh. He missed flirting with her and teasing her and seeing that sparkle in her eye that told him how much she enjoyed it. He missed holding her in his arms and feeling her perfect body pressed against him like that's exactly where it belonged. In his mind, that was exactly where her body belonged. But did she feel the same?

Daryl was pretty sure he was going to go crazy before he found out. She didn't need to love him. Not yet. He could wait for that. It would give him a challenge and something to work for. All she needed to say was that she would try. That's all he needed. But could she give him that? Did she trust him enough?

Before she left for the airport, after another steamy kiss, Daryl made one final admission. "Hey, I need you to know something," he'd said, gently stroking her cheek. "Since our first time it's only been you," he'd whispered, watching the way her eyes changed and wishing he understood exactly what it meant. "I haven't been with any other women since you moved in," He'd admitted, hoping that given his track record she could believe him.

He would never lie to her, and Daryl was pretty sure she knew that. Her eyes had drifted to his lips and she kissed him softly. "Thank you," she'd said, looking into his eyes for a moment, then kissing him one last time and heading out the door. She hadn't said goodbye. She hadn't said anything else - just 'thank you' and she was gone.

During one of his quick bathroom breaks at the con that afternoon he'd checked his phone and saw she texted from New York. She was back home safely. It took him a bit longer to get back into his groove with the next few fans that came through his line. He felt awful for being so distracted, so he forced himself to focus on the excited women, men and children approaching his table. He knew how special the moment was to them and wanted to make sure he gave them all a positive experience after all the time and money they'd spent to be there.

It left him extremely tired at the end of the day and he usually dealt with it by going out and wearing himself out even more. It sounded counterproductive but to get himself to sleep when he was at cons he needed to be completely spent. If he tried while he was just tired he ended up tossing and turning. He had to be completely out of gas - or it was a sure night of insomnia without something to help him sleep like Nyquil or Benadryl.

Unfortunately, he hadn't brought either with him and Daryl had no desire to hit the town. It was going to be a long night and an even longer day the next morning when he had another 8 hours at the con before he could finally fly home to Carol.

"I should text her or call," Daryl said out loud, reaching for his cell. He picked it up and then set it down again. Maybe not, he thought. She wanted time to think, she doesn't want to talk to you. But what if she does? And what if she gets upset because you didn't call? Daryl reached for the phone again. No, this is stupid, he thought, setting it down a second time. Give the woman some space, you're gonna scare her away being too clingy.

He sighed and tried to find something interesting on TV. After going through the channels twice he considered renting a playboy Pay-per-view. Maybe watching a filthy porno and jerking off 5 times will tire me out enough to sleep he thought. "Oh what the fuck," Daryl muttered, selecting the movie with the raunchiest title and ordering it.

He was just getting thoroughly worked up with round one when the phone rang. It was a facetime call from Carol. "Shit," he muttered scrambling for the remote. He couldn't find it and didn't want to miss the call so he answered, "Hey."

"I was waiting for you to call me," she replied with a pout. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, um…" Daryl stammered looking down at his erection and back up to the screen at her face. "Well, I was watching a movie actually."

Carol smiled, "What movie?"

"Oh nothing exciting. What are you up to?" he asked attempting to deflect.

"You're watching porn," she stated, quite sure of herself.

Daryl knew he was busted. "Maybe…" he admitted sheepishly.

"Let me see it," Carol replied.

Well fuck, what was she talking about? Did she want to see the movie? Or his dick? "Uh, see what?" he asked, realizing there was only one way to find out.

Carol looked perplexed for a second. "Oh… oh... " she said cluing in with a little grin. "Well I was referring to the movie, but… if you want to give me a private show… that's even better."

A smile spread across his face, "Hold up… are we having phone sex?"

"Well not exactly… I mean, doesn't phone sex have to be like audio, not video?" she asked.

"Technology changes everything," he replied. "I'm sure facetime phone sex is quite popular these days." If he thought the porn was gonna be the most exciting part of his evening, boy was he wrong again. But before he pushed her into anything he realized the time zone difference. "Hey, what are you still doing up anyway? It's late there."

"Mmm, I don't really have any plans for tomorrow. I can sleep in," Carol replied. "Still lots of time to think before you get home." So she hadn't made any kind of decision yet, he realized. Yet, she was still okay to keep their relationship going until she decided. What did that mean? She enjoyed the sex and wasn't ready to give it up? Or was she leaning towards a yes? He was afraid to get his hopes up. "So come on, show me the goods," she added, interrupting his thoughts. "You getting shy on me Dixon?"

"Of course not," he said, switching the phone to his left hand and facing it towards his dick while he started to stroke it again with his right.

"Oh, wow," he heard her say. "So what exactly is on that TV that's got you so worked up." Daryl flashed the phone towards the TV where a busty blonde wearing nothing but a thong was giving head to some dude in his office at work. "Hmm, okay, fair enough," he heard her say. "Now back to my show."

"Only if you promise you're gonna join in and I get to watch you for a bit too," Daryl negotiated.

"What makes you so certain I haven't joined in already," Carol spoke in her sassy tone that absolutely killed him. He had to stop stroking for a second as his dick throbbed.

"I wanna see," he said huskily. This jerking off thing wasn't going to take long if she let him

watch her for even a few seconds.

"Well that's not fair, then I won't be able to watch you," she replied, sounding pouty.

"Oh fine," he gave in and resumed masturbating. He would do anything she asked - anything. "But in that case you have to do the audio commentary."

"What? No way. Switch," Carol replied quickly. "You be the dirty talker and I'll give the video." Daryl instantly moved his phone into view and started at the screen as the camera blurred in and out and finally came into focus.

"Fuck," he muttered, as a perfectly clear image of her pussy appeared on the screen. She was touching herself and Daryl squirmed. He wasn't gonna last long at all. How the hell was he supposed to talk dirty to her when there was a good chance he wouldn't even know his own name at that point. "Jesus, why aren't you here," he groaned. He just let his inner thoughts start to spill out. "I wanna lick your sweet, tight pussy so bad," he sighed. "Mmm, I can taste you right now… God… I wish you were here so I could shove my tongue inside you, over and over…" He heard Carol whimper and it distracted him for a moment. "Push your fingers inside," Daryl instructed her. "Imagine it's me… pretend I'm there and I'm touching you… driving you wild… pushing you closer and closer to the edge."

Daryl couldn't hold back the groan as she pushed her fingers deep into her core. "Fuck baby, you're gonna make me come," he moaned, speaking nothing but the truth. In all fairness he'd been close before she called, but he was gonna blow any second.

"I want you to fuck me," Carol breathed. "I want your dick inside me, filling me up…" Her voice was so sultry it made him shudder.

"God, I'm so fucking close," he hissed.

"Me too," she replied, surprising him. She must have been playing with herself when she'd called or was really horny to get close that fast. "But I wanna see you finish, please?" she begged him.

Daryl moved the phone back in place and let her watch as he pumped a few more times, grunted and ejaculated hot cum onto his chest and stomach. Normally he would have got a tissue or something when he knew it was almost time, but he'd been slightly distracted. "Mmm.. ohhh," he heard her whimper then gasp. He flipped the phone back just in time to see her face, eyes closed, biting hard on her lip… he knew that look, she was done too, only seconds after him.

When her eyes fluttered open he was smiling at her. "See, told you phone sex was fun," he teased. "And you're a natural."

"Might be something I'd like to try again sometime," she replied sleepily, smiling in return.

"You're tired," Daryl said. "Sleep Sweetheart." He really wanted to add an "I love you" as well, but he didn't want to make it awkward or pressure her.

"Thank you," she replied with a yawn. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow night."

That had to be a good sign, right? Daryl thought. "Me too. Sweet dreams Baby. I'll be home soon."

"You too. Night."

"Night," he replied, reluctantly hanging up. He found the remote and shut off the porn. It couldn't compare to what had just happened anyway and he no longer had a desire to jerk off half the night. All he wanted was to go to sleep, wake up the next day, get through the con and get home to her. Not knowing what their future held was making him crazy. She was the best thing in his life. He couldn't lose her… but unfortunately… it was completely out of his hands. And that… was terrifying.


	25. Chapter 25

_AN: Thank you all for reading. I do have an epilogue to this one, but I'm not sure if I'm going to post it or not. I know this one was quite AU for Caryl, but I hope you enjoyed it._

 **Conclusion**

Daryl was due home, he could walk through the door any second, and Carol already felt like she was going to be sick. She had no idea how their chat was going to go once she told him. But how? How do you tell someone you're not in love with them?

She had played the words over and over in her head. She'd memorized them like she did her lines. But they always sounded terrible. Sometimes Carol thought she sounded cold. Other times the words sounded too planned or even a bit forced. They just never sounded genuine and compassionate, which was exactly how she wanted them to come out.

Maybe I should just throw everything away and wing it, she thought. But she didn't have time to decide one way or the other because the door swung open and Daryl came flying in. "Okay, tell me," he blurted out, spotting her as he kicked aside his suitcase. "I've been going crazy… the whole day… the whole flight… just tell me Carol. Are we through? Is it over…"

Fuck, he had the saddest look in his eyes already, mixed with fear, and she hadn't even spoke yet. "Daryl... " she started. But the words were gone. Everything she'd rehearsed and learned over and over was gone. That had never happened to her before. Once she had her lines down they were there. She could remember lines from movies she'd done 10 years ago. Carol started to panic and the next thing she knew her eyes were wet.

"Jesus… this is it. This is really it…" Daryl muttered, looking defeated. "I really thought after you left yesterday that… Fuck," he cut himself off. "I knew I shouldn't have got my hopes up." His voice was getting louder. He was upset. He was working himself into a frenzy and she still hadn't spoke a thing other than his name. "Why am I so fucking stupid?"

Carol felt tears trickling down her cheeks. She had to stop him… she had to say something. "Daryl," she tried again. But he kept muttering loudly, pacing back and forth. "Daryl," she said louder. The third time she yelled and finally he stopped talking and looked at her. Once again she panicked and said the wrong thing. "I'm not in love with you."

"I fucking gathered that," he hissed. "You really felt the need to interrupt me and reaffirm that?" Daryl's eyes flashed and there was a little glimpse of anger amidst the hurt.

"No… no…" Carol said, reaching out to him with trembling hands. "It's not coming out right, dammit, I'm sorry." She tried to hold his hand but Daryl pulled away. "Please, would you hear me out before you react? Daryl, please? It's not what you think."

"You don't love me," he stated with a shrug. "Nothing else matters. I mean, what? You wanna just be friends with benefits or something? Because believe it or not… I don't think I can fucking handle that."

"No… that's not…" Carol tried.

"Or you just want to go back to the way we were? Or maybe you want nothing to do with me? Are you gonna move out? Have you already packed? Maybe your stuff is gone…" he looked around. "Maybe…"

Carol had had enough. "Holy fuck you would shut up," she yelled. She had no idea how things had escalated to that point, but it was time for him to listen. Carol grabbed his wrist and pulled. He resisted briefly, but the second forceful tug had him following her to the living room. She stopped and shoved him to a seating position on the couch. "You are going to sit there and listen," she seethed. "Not a fucking word until I'm finished, you got it?"

She thought about sitting down, but she decided she could use the extra leverage of hovering over him. "So I said I'm not in love with you…" Daryl made some kind of scoffing sound and she glared at him until he stopped. "Everything has happened so fast…" she sighed. "We were friends… yeah, we flirted, but we were just friends… and then… we started having sex… and I really hadn't even had a chance to get used to that and you tell me you love me…" Carol paused and looked at him. "Daryl, I don't love you like that…" He went to interrupt and she held up a finger. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to," she continued giving him a tiny smile.

"Wait, what?" Daryl looked stunned.

"I said… that even though I don't love you now it doesn't mean I don't want to fall in love with you," she whispered, stepping closer and reaching out her fingertips to brush his face. "I just need some time to wrap my mind around this whole thing." He leaned into her touch. "I need time to see you as more than the friend I've known for so many years. But… it's there… I know it's there," she said softly, a tear of a different kind rolling down her cheek. "I just need some time to understand it." She stroked his face and dropped to her knees in front of him. "What do you think? Can we try? Are you willing to try even after…"

"Yes," Daryl responded enthusiastically. "Yes… a chance, that's all I wanted," he replied with a smile. He was so handsome when he smiled like that and Carol felt her heart flutter. Now that she knew how he felt and was starting to see him differently she had no doubt it wouldn't take long before she felt the same.

Daryl leaned forward to kiss her, but Carol stopped him. "Before we start that… because we both know where it will lead… I want to show you something first and then ask you something." She took his hand this time, since she didn't have to drag him, and led him to the other side of the living room, stopping in front of the painting he'd done recently - the one he said she'd inspired.

"Yeah, I'm gonna get it framed and hang it… just haven't got around to it," Daryl muttered.

"When I saw it the day you painted it," she started. "I loved it right away. I could see all the emotions you were trying to convey… except one. I knew I was missing something, but you refused to tell me. You knew it was gonna drive me crazy." She gave him a sideways glance and saw that he was quite captivated and clearly intrigued with where she was going. "I looked at it so many times. Pretty much every time I was in this room. But it never came to me. Not until I came home from Portland… after you told me…" Carol met his eyes. "The second I saw the painting again, I knew… it's love. That's what I was missing. It was staring me right in the face and I couldn't see it. But you knew… you knew when you painted this that you were in love with me…" Her heart fluttered both from the romantic realization she'd come to and from nerves. "You knew even before we started having sex… So what I need to know is… when? When did you know you loved me? How long? How long have you felt this way and left me in the dark, completely clueless?"

Daryl sucked in a breath and shrugged slightly. "Remember I told you how we kissed at that party? I'm pretty sure it started that night," he admitted.

"Jesus," she whispered. That wasn't just a few weeks ago, that was months.

"I don't know that I knew what it was then," he spoke again. "And I tried really hard to make it go away. I fucked a lot of women, thinking it was just some mid-life thing I could fix… but the more girls I was with the more it made me want you." Daryl sighed. "So I tried the other way. I quit having sex and masturbated… a lot. But that didn't work either because every time my dick was in my hand, it was you on my mind." Carol couldn't help but smile at his honesty. That's just the way they were with each other and it would never change. "But the day you moved in here I knew for sure I was in love with you," He nodded as he spoke. "And once I knew… I just couldn't be with anyone else… felt like I was cheating."

"Oh and you've never cheated before?" Carol teased him.

He chuckled. "Okay, okay, you know I have. I've been a jerk to a lot of girls… but it wasn't just any girl - it was you. I've never been a jerk to you Carol and I promise I never will."

She believed him without a doubt. He had always treated her with respect and she knew he would continue to do so, even though their relationship was different and respecting her meant a completely different thing. "Come on," she said, taking his hand again.

"Now where are we going?" he asked.

"You know exactly where we're going," she replied over her shoulder.

"Oh, I only meant which bedroom," he said, sweeping her off her feet into his arms.

They ended up in his room. Carol thought she might be in for a tender and romantic lovemaking session. Quite honestly, it wasn't what she wanted, but she thought maybe it's what Daryl needed and she was okay with that. But he seemed to have something else in mind, which was a lot closer to the hard fuck she was hoping for. It was strange that even after such a special and sweet moment she just wanted him to take her and pound her. Carol was a bit embarrassed by what she desired, until he did exactly that. It simply reminded her that they were a good match sexually, which was important to both of them. She already knew they were a good match in many other ways too.

Somewhere in the middle Carol was struck with a strange urge she had honestly never felt with a man's dick in her. She wanted to be fucked in the ass. She knew all she had to do was say the word and she could have it. Daryl would be more than happy to oblige. It must have been a result of all the anal teasing he'd done in the past, mixed with the way he was spreading her cheeks apart while he fucked her, drawing her attention to other areas. As much as her body seemed to want it Carol's mind just wasn't ready. It still seemed so wrong and she worried it might hurt. So she forced herself to enjoy everything else that was happening and forget about her naughty urge. But she knew it was gonna happen, sooner rather than later. If he offered it and she was in the state she was currently in there was no way she could turn him down.

Something about being with Daryl made her feel so young, alive and completely crazy. He made her want to do strange things and enjoy things she never had before. He was liberating, even to a free spirit like herself. He was fearless and bold, which only made him even sexier. When she didn't come before he was through Daryl immediately went down on her until she did, without hesitation. It was so erotic to her that it made his job quick and easy. Carol truly appreciated the lengths he would go to to be absolutely sure she was fully satisfied.

They were lying side by side afterwards, fingers twisted together, when Daryl announced he needed a smoke before he could sleep. Carol watched him get up, throw on some pants and a hoodie, then grab a pack of smokes and leave with a promise to return quickly.

She lay quietly for a moment, but was struck with yet another strange urge. She needed to be close to him, even though he wasn't far away and would be back soon. It was crazy, but it didn't stop her from getting out of bed, finding one of his robes and slipping her feet into a pair of boobie slippers. Carol padded down the hall, through the living room and joined him on the balcony. "Hey," she said with a shy smile, gasping at the shock of cold as she stepped up beside him.

"Hey," he replied, before taking a long haul on the cigarette. The look on his face told Carol he understood exactly why she was there.

"You know, I didn't think I was gonna like living here, but if we're gonna be together..." Carol said as she snuggled closer to steal some of his body heat. "Guess I'll be spending a lot more time in the city."

Daryl wrapped an arm around her and exhaled away from her face. "I've said it before, but now that you're ready to embrace the city life... Welcome to New York.."

Carol looked out over the streets and cars and buildings below and she smiled. For the first time the slow paced country girl inside her allowed her to look at the bustling city with warmth, instead of contempt. If she hadn't come there to film her and Daryl may not have ended up where they were in their relationship. In a strange way she owed something to the vast metropolis spread out before her. Daryl loved living there and whether she was fully in love with him yet or not, she certainly loved being with him and New York had brought them together. Carol smiled and felt perfectly comfortable snuggled up to Daryl, despite the icy chill. Maybe the Big Apple wasn't so bad after all.

~The End~


End file.
